Lowell A lumni Association
SPRING 2015
DISTRIBUTION 34,000
SERVING THE OLDEST PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE WEST SINCE 1910
Alums Leave Tremendous Legacy for Future Generations
President’s Message By Lisa Coughlin Clay ’74
Given their foresight, generosity of spirit and lifelong record of community service and philanthropy, it is not surprising that siblings Dr. Serene C. Low S’54 and Dr. Ronald B. Low S’56, both of whom passed away in late 2011, would be thoughtful enough to create testamentary gifts to the Lowell Alumni Association in their respective trusts. But what is truly remarkable is that their combined gifts of $571,000, representing the second-largest single gift the association has ever received, will leave a tremendous legacy for future generations of Lowell students while also setting a great example for all Lowell alumni and friends. Both Serene and Ronald were proud members of the group of Chinese-American physicians who were born at San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital and later returned to work in the community. Serene attended college at UC Berkeley and received her M.D. at UC San Francisco before her internship at Moffitt Hospital in San Francisco and residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She subsequently joined her father’s pediatrics practice in Chinatown, earned her board certification in pediatrics and practiced with her brother Ronald until 2004. She thoroughly enjoyed her work with children and had a calming effect on them when they were being treated. Having practiced in the community for so many years, she even treated the second generation of children in some families! As a young man, Ronald was active in the Boy Scouts, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and was inducted into the Order of DeMolay. After Lowell, he graduated from UC Berkeley before continuing to Northwestern University for medical school and then to UC San Francisco for training in pediatrics. Also board-certified in pediatrics, he practiced for 35 years in San Francisco and also served a second generation of children in some families. The doctors were remembered by one patient for their teamwork that “exuded superb synergy and psychic unity to the exclusion of all potentially disruptive differences. Also, they
LOWELL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PO BOX 320009 San Francisco, CA 94132-0009
Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit 7857 San Francisco, CA
From its beginning, Lowell has always been a place where women can succeed. Forty-five women were in the inaugural class of 1856 at Union Grammar School (Paul Lucey, A History of the Oldest Public High School in San Francisco). Lowell has a long legacy of strong, high-achieving female graduates. I am honored to recognize the achievements of four important women who are serving the public as elected officials. In 2014, Betty Yee, class of 1975, was elected California State Controller, the state’s chief financial officer, after having previously served on the State Board of Equalization for ten years. She is one of only a handful of women to be elected to statewide office in California, and is the first woman from Lowell to hold that position. Dr. Emily Murase, class of 1983, has served on the Board of Education for the San Francisco Unified School District since 2010. She currently serves as the President of the Board of Education after receiving the most votes in the school board election of 2014. Dr. Murase was a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2004 to 2010. She also serves as Executive Director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. Lowell is well represented on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors by Malia Cohen, class of 1996 and Katy Tang, class of 2002. Ms. Cohen was first elected a Supervisor in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Ms. Tang was appointed to the Board in February 2013 by Mayor Ed Lee and has been elected twice since her appointment. Today, female students at Lowell are achieving great success in academics, athletics and leadership. The Alumni Association, as a proud member of the Lowell community, supports all our students in these endeavors. Members of the Association have served as role models as the result of their achievements in all professions, as well as service to our school and community. Of concern for the future, however, is the fact that women are underrepresented on our Board of Directors. Fewer than forty percent of the elected members of the current board are women, and of that group, only one is a graduate after the 1980s. It is critical that the association and its board demonstrate, through its actions, that women play a significant role in all aspects of the school community, and that Lowell’s female students see other women in positions of leadership. I encourage all alumnae, particularly recent graduates, to become actively involved with Lowell and your Alumni Association, so that we can “pass the torch” to the next generation of alumni.
Serene and Ronald Low were indefatigable advocates who backed their patients unconditionally.” In retirement, Serene and Ronald finally had time to travel the world, exercise at the Jewish Community Center, continue their medical practice as volunteers and donate time at St. Anthony’s Dining Room. Dr. Serene Low was a wonderful, sincere and genuinely nice person. She was always considerate of others and never wanted to impose on anyone. She will always be remembered as a caring and giving person. Dr. Ronald Low will be very much missed by all for his warm, friendly ways and his genuine interest in the welfare of all people. Serene and Ronald are survived by several aunts, uncles and many cousins, including Lowell alumni Arnold Low S’59, Kenneth Chew S’59, Clarene Dong Rosten S’60, Candance Dong Lee S’66, Terrence Leong F’66, Calvin Dong F’67, Gary Low S’69, Larry Low, Jr. S’72 and Kimiko Leong ’89. Every member of the Lowell community, and particularly Lowell alumni, owes a great debt of gratitude to these two outstanding physicians and philanthropists for their tireless service and good works that continue well beyond their deaths. We can only hope that Lowell will continue to help shape the lives of others who will follow ably and honorably in their footsteps. For information on including the Lowell Alumni Association in your estate plans, please contact us at (415) 759-7830 or lowellaa@lowellalumni.org.
Annual Fund Campaign On Track To Make A Real Difference Thanks to early support from more than 1,300 alumni and other friends, our 2014-15 Annual Fund Campaign is making steady progress towards achieving its goal of fully funding several important projects and programs to benefit every one of today’s 2,700 students. The more than 1,300 donations received to date have generated over $280,000 in unrestricted gifts and another $100,000 in restricted gifts. With a strong final push leading up to the June 30 end of this year’s campaign, we hope to reach our $350,000 goal for unrestricted gifts. Given the recent modest increases in state funding for public education, Annual Fund Campaign gifts are no longer needed to help fund faculty and staff positions
at Lowell, thus allowing us to take on high profile major projects like last year’s library computer lab renovation. We are in the process of gathering proposals for a $150,000 project to be funded with the proceeds of our current campaign while continuing funding for our traditional grants program (providing $75,000 to support a wide variety of projects to benefit academic and extracurricular programs) as well as the alumni newsletter, support for class reunions and ongoing funding for schoolwide technology upgrades. This year’s campaign theme, Lowell Makes A Difference, truly captures the essence of the Lowell Alumni Association’s mission as we continue to inform the Lowell
community of opportunities to enhance the school’s well-deserved reputation for excellence and then engage alumni and other friends in order to find the resources necessary to take advantage of those opportunities to make a very real difference in the lives of Lowell students. We invite you to add your support for our important mission by participating in our Annual Fund Campaign before our June 30 deadline. To donate via credit card or check, please visit www.lowellalumni.org/ donate. And many thanks to all who have already donated this year because you truly make a difference at Lowell!
Annual Scholarship Reception Thursday, May 21 • 5pm • Lowell Library Lowell alumni are cordially invited to join us for our 2015 Scholarship reception and awards ceremony where the Lowell Alumni Association will award college scholarships to more than two dozen extraordinary seniors. To RSVP, please contact us via e-mail or phone: lowellaa@lowellalumni.org • 415.759.7830
Page 2 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
LAA Grants Fund Wide-Ranging Projects By Mark Budak ’73, Susan Frankenstein Dean ’73 and Terence Abad ’76 What do a baseball tournament in Hawaii and a 3D printer for robotics have in common? The answer is the Lowell Alumni Association. Both of these activities (and many others) benefited from your generous contributions! The LAA’s Grant Committee, chaired by Mark Budak ’73, meets twice a year to review requests made by Lowell faculty and coaches for projects related to academic and extracurricular activities. With an annual budget of $75,000, these grants touch every single Lowell student and offer a wide range of opportunities that simply wouldn’t exist without support from Lowell alumni and other friends. Over the past year, LAA grants and designated gift funds have funded these projects:
to play in the tournament which made us feel special. Our hosts made us feel very welcome as well. The home team let us practice on their field the day before the tournament and the host parents cooked us a feast for dinner.” How did the team do? “We went 2 wins — 1 loss and a fourth impromptu game was rained out. We got experience playing against the best teams in Hawaii. Overall it was a success.” What was your personal tournament highlight? “I got to speak to and get to know professional scouts from the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks.”
Craig Colen
• Poets in the Schools Program ($10,000)
significant difference in the lives of today’s students, who are among San Francisco’s most talented and hard-working. Your Annual Fund Campaign gift helps us sustain our grants program. To donate via credit card or check, please visit www. lowellalumni.org/donate. Thanks to all the loyal alumni and other Lowell friends who have made these grants possible!
• 45 new student task chairs for Computer Science classroom ($7,400)
Grant Profiles
• Art class field trip to Alcatraz to view Wei Wei exhibit ($800)
Baseball Team Trip to Hawaii
• Student travel and participation in a national high school journalism convention in Washington, DC ($12,600) • GPS watches for the cross-country team ($650)
• Advanced Placement exam fee subsidies for students with financial need ($7,000) • Other Advanced Placement program support – proctor stipends, water/snacks for students ($7,000) • Uniform shorts for the girls soccer team ($880) • Charter bus for theater students to compete at the Ohlone Theater Festival ($2,800) • Partial funding for Geology class field trip to Yosemite ($4,000) • Entry fees and travel expenses for speech/ debate team ($12,000) • Instructional materials for Organic Chemistry class ($1,200) • Robotics team expenses – equipment, entry fees ($10,300) • Partial funding for baseball team trip to compete at Hilo, Hawaii invitational tournament ($5,000) • JROTC uniforms and instructional materials ($4,100) All of these projects help to ensure that Lowell High School continues to make a
The LAA recently granted $5,000 to provide partial funding for the baseball team’s recent trip to Hilo, Hawaii to compete at the Stanley Costales Invitational Tournament. This trip has added significance because this is Coach John Donohue’s 33rd and final season as Cardinals skipper as he builds upon his more than 700 career wins, the second-most of any active coach in Northern California. We asked Craig Colen, an 18-year old senior and star pitcher in the Cardinals rotation, about the Hawaii trip. [Craig is arguably the best baseball player Lowell has produced in decades, having been honored as 2014 AAA Pitcher of the Year; 2014 All-City first team; 2015 Louisville Slugger pre-season 2nd team All-American and committed to attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (ranked the #12 college team in the country).] “It was a great experience for the entire team. It was also really important for us to get playing experience prior to our season beginning. We got to play in front of college and professional baseball scouts, which was both stressful and exciting.” Asked about the Hawaiian experience: “We were the only team from the mainland
Haywood Gilliam, Jr. Confirmed As Federal Judge By Lisa Coughlin Clay ’74 Haywood Gilliam, Jr., class of 1987, has been confirmed as a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of California. Judge Gilliam was nominated by President Obama in August 2014 on the recommendation of Senator Dianne Feinstein. He received the highest rating of “well qualified” from the American Bar Association review committee. Judge Gilliam attended middle school in Colorado and Georgia and moved to San Francisco as a high school sophomore. Even though he grew up outside of San Francisco, he soon realized that Lowell is a very “special” place. Judge Gilliam had a “great experience” during his years at Lowell. He was fortunate to have had Ms. Flossie Lewis,
whom he describes as an “amazing teacher”, as one of his English teachers. Another fond memory are his years playing soccer for Coach Ernie Feibusch, whom he recalls with affection. Judge Gilliam graduated magna cum laude from Yale in 1991 and received his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1994, after which he was a law clerk for United States District Judge Thelton Henderson. Judge Gilliam was an associate in a private law firm before serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of California from 1999-2006, where he was the chief of the securities fraud section from 2005-06. From 2006 until his confirmation, he was a partner at two civil law firms. Judge Gilliam assumed his position on the Federal bench in December 2014.
On Lowell baseball in general: “I transferred to Lowell from Lincoln in my sophomore year. As a freshman at Lincoln, I remember when we played Lowell. I watched the discipline of their warm-up drills and the interaction of the coaches and players and thought to myself, I want to be on THAT team. I also wanted to transfer to be in a more competitive academic environment.” How have you benefited from the Lowell baseball program? “The coaches have not only helped me improve my game but also my physical and mental strength. They’ve given me motivation so that I can push myself forward.” On the last day of the trip, the coaches chartered vans to give the players a tour of Hilo and some rest and relaxation. How did you like the tour of the island? “I stayed back and caught up on six hours of homework.”
Robotics Team Build a robot in just six weeks? That is what the Lowell Robotics team does to prepare for regional competitions against other high school robotics teams. Recent LAA grants totaling $10,300 helped fund equipment purchases along with tournament entry fees and travel expenses. Tournament success emphasizes design, programming, and manufacturing as students, many of whom enroll in a two-year sequence of robotics classes, become familiar with the tools and software involved in building a sophisticated robot. CardinalBotics is Lowell’s Robotics team, headed by physics teacher Bryan Cooley and a strong group of student leaders. CardinalBotics is also part of FIRST, a national organization that promotes mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills. FIRST also presents students with the technical challenge of building a 120-pound robot to compete in international competition. Now in its fourth year, CardinalBotics has already garnered much recognition and won many awards, including having qualified to
William Wong compete at the international championships in each of the team’s first three years. Lowell junior William Wong is the President of CardinalBotics. He has been involved since the beginning. On CardinalBotics: “When we started, we were less than 20 guys. Since it was new, we had to do extensive independent research to figure things out. Now going into our fourth year, we are now 80 students of all grade levels and a third to a half are females.” When asked about the robotics competitions, William replied: “Building the robot is a great experience, but it is not the main focus of our program. Our main focus is community outreach.” As the first Robotics team in San Francisco, the CardinalBotics students have given much back to the community: “We go into high schools, middle schools and even elementary schools to mentor other students and get them interested in science, technology, and engineering.” CardinalBotics has helped start Robotics programs at Galileo and Gateway High Schools and has created teams and helped with mentoring at Presidio Middle School. CardinalBotics President William Wong gave further perspective on the importance of the Robotics program at Lowell: “It’s so much more than going into our tiny machine shop tucked in the back of a Physics classroom and working with a drill press or a lathe. CardinalBotics is a student-run enterprise. It is exactly like running a small business. The students are responsible for budgets, management, and communications. We learn all the aspects of running a successful business.” Lowell Robotics teacher and mentor Bryan Cooley sums it up best: “Students in robotics learn more about engineering here at Lowell than I did in four years at Berkeley.”
Donnie Clay, Jr. ’04 and Angelina Clay ’07 are sworn in as members of the State Bar of California in December 2014 by their father, Alameda County Superior Court Judge C. Don Clay.
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 3
LAA Launches First Comprehensive Strategic Planning Process
Alumni Bookshelf Beyond Folly By Emil DeAndreis ’04 Lowell class of ’04 alumnus and current Lowell pitching coach Emil DeAndreis recently published his first book, Beyond Folly (Blue Cubicle Press, 2013). The book follows protagonist Horton Hagardy— a lowly substitute teacher in the SFUSD— as he copes with mutinous kids, ancient colleagues, bored administrators, and being the butt of every possible joke— on an unapologetically daily basis. Likened to A Confederacy of Dunces by one review, and praised for its “funny, fast voice” by NY Times Bestselling Author George Saunders, Beyond Folly is a riotous day-in-the-life narrative on being a substitute in San Francisco public schools. Author Emil DeAndreis is a twenty-nine year old substitute teacher and baseball coach, who has received his Master of Fine Arts in Fiction at San Francisco State. He has recently been elected to the Lowell Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Name Games: A Multicultural Children’s Story By Gloria Ng ’96 Olátòrò, a Nigerian American nine-yearold girl, comes to terms with her Yorùbá name after facing a name-calling incident in her school, a diverse educational setting in America. Self-consciousness turns to new appreciation for herself, her name, and her peers with the help of a feisty friend, a compassionate teacher, and her encouraging father. This e-book is expanded and adapted from a story first published in SKIPPING STONES, an award-winning international multicultural literary magazine. You can find more information at www.gloriang.com.
Anniversary Waltz
tioning in their respective positions, and finally, of despair and redemption.
The Blessing and the Curse: an adoption story By Phyllis Gurvitz Greenbach F’56 In this compelling saga, based on the lives of two Jewish families that converge over an adopted child, a sealed adoption agreement is breached, and the birth-mother and adoptive-mother are forced to confront each other’s complicated histories. Spanning 70 years and two continents, the tragedies and triumphs of both families are woven together, ultimately leading to redemption. The Blessing and the Curse is written from the author’s personal point of view, as the adoptive-mother, with the cooperation of the birth-mother and her family. It cracks open the facade of family life, digging deeper into who we are and why. Nothing happens in a vacuum. This saga poignantly reveals the ups and downs, the real life dramas, that funnel our choices and defines who we are.
To Have Not By Frances Lefkowitz ’80 Named one of the five best memoirs of 2010 by SheKnows.com, this book is about growing up poor, white, and female in 1970s San Francisco, getting a scholarship to an East Coast Ivy League college, and discovering the downside of upward mobility. You can find more information at www. franceslefkowitz.net.
In Pursuit: from the streets of San Francisco to Watergate
By Charlie Mannix S’58
By John W. Mindermann F’54 and Brian Solon
Charlie Mannix, a 30-year police veteran, delves into the psyche of what it is to be a police officer working at the street level. Anniversary Waltz examines how split-second decisions officers regularly make have domino effects - how those decisions affect the lives of all involved. It explores the human frailty and occasional corruption that is present among the people who we hire to “serve and protect” our cities. It is a story of people with weaknesses exposed, police bureaucracy that fails those it employs, different strata of society func-
John Mindermann, a San Francisco Police Department veteran who later worked as an FBI agent, shares his personal stories in this sophisticated and rowdy book. He witnessed the shadowy intrigue that trailed in the wake of Watergate, including the FBI occupation of the White House (considered Secret Service turf) and the “swirling, ethically confusing” dance of Washington’s subculture of undercover operations. This book reminds us that the cops and FBI often wore white hats during their darker days in the 1960s and ’70s.
Attention Parents: Help us ensure that your son or daughter receives this newsletter in a timely manner. If your child has a new permanent address, please let us know so that we can update our records. Contact us at (415) 759-7830 or, via e-mail, at lowellaa@lowellalumni.org. Thank you! LOWELL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Lisa Coughlin Clay ’74 President
Jim Rosenthal ’50 Vice President
Leon Blum ’52 Terence Abad ’76 Treasurer Executive Director
Anita Payton ’74 Secretary Paul A. Lucey Executive Director Emeritus
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jack Anderson ’50 Bill Black ’73 Roberta Bleiweiss ’65 Mike Bower ’67 Cathryn Brash ’43 Mark Budak ’73 Angelina Clay ’07 Emil DeAndreis ’04 Joseph Ehrman III ’41
Claudia Wolf Eshoo ’67 Dan Genolio ’77 Georgene Poulakidas Kromydas ’88 King Lip ’95 Larry Miller ’59 Georgette Petropoulos ’70 Vera Au Poon ’59 Geraldine Rosen-Park ’77
Helen Louie Wax ’66, Southern California Representative
Wendy Drefke Shinbori ’68 Bruce Spiegelman ’67 Mark Steiner ’72 Paul Tam ’82 John Trasviña ’76 Mike Ugawa ’76 Rita Yee ’73 Irving Zaretsky ’59
Andy Ishibashi, Principal
PUBLISHED BY THE LOWELL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
As part of a larger effort to improve the Lowell Alumni Association and adopt recognized best practices for non-profit organizations, the Lowell Alumni Association’s Board of Directors has begun work on the development of a three-year strategic plan for the association. LAA President Lisa Clay chairs the Strategic Plan Steering Committee that includes board members Lee Blum, Mark Budak, Anita Payton, Jim Rosenthal and Mike Ugawa, along with Executive Director Terence Abad. With the assistance of consultant Chuck Cole from the Essex & Drake firm, board members participated in an all-day retreat on March 21 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, the purpose of which was to begin drafting a comprehensive organizational mission statement and identifying a priority list of near-term goals for evaluating and improving various aspects of the association’s operations. A second session was held in early April for those who were unable to come to the March meeting in an effort to tap into the energy and experience of all board members. The critical first step in the strategic plan development process was a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. Board members identified a wide range of items in each of these categories during small group break-out sessions, after which the full group reconvened to discuss commonalities and differences among their lists. Here are some examples of items identified during the SWOT analysis: • Strengths: Newsletter/communications; cohesive alumni community; LAA wellrespected within the wider Lowell community • Weaknesses: Outdated bylaws; lack of formal process for board member recruitment and development; lack of job descriptions for board and committee members; inad-
equate financial reporting • Opportunities: Greater engagement with alumni through special events and volunteer opportunities; development of major projects to further improve Lowell’s reputation for excellence • Threats: Perception of Lowell as an elitist institution; possible future challenges to Lowell’s existence as a public academic magnet school with special admissions standards The next step will be the formation of working groups to address priority areas identified by the board by creating specific tasks and timelines within those broad areas. The working groups will focus on these areas: Bylaws revision; Committee roles and Board member recruitment/development; Fundraising; Communications/ Marketing/Public Relations; and Volunteers/Involvement. We expect that these groups will make some real progress over the summer on some short-term tasks while developing plans for accomplishing medium- and long-term projects. The overall goal is to provide the Lowell Alumni Association with a proper foundation for future success. While we have, with the support of thousands of alumni and other friends, made great strides since the association’s 1981 re-birth, the time has come for us to realize that with more than $4 million in assets and $500,000 in annual revenue we are no longer a “mom and pop” non-profit entity. In order to fully meet the needs of the alumni community and our current and future students, it is critical that we continue to develop and improve the association. Thanks to the leadership and hard work of the LAA Board of Directors, those efforts are now underway and we look forward to providing updates on our progress in future newsletters. If you have suggestions for the LAA’s strategic plan, e-mail us at feedback@ lowellalumni.org.
Letters To The Editor Dear Lowell Alumni Association, Thank you so much for awarding me with an AP scholarship this year. I am so grateful that the LAA scholarship exists to provide the help and the opportunity to further my education. With my AP classes I challenge myself constantly and learn at a more detailed level. I appreciate the scholarship that has encouraged me to work harder and to aim higher. When I graduate from Lowell, I will always remember what the LAA has done for me, and I will pay it forward for the future generations of Lowellites. Juliana Mak, Class of 2016 [This year, the LAA is providing $7,000 in Advanced Placement exam fee subsidies to deserving students along with another $7,000 to defray costs of administering the more than 3,000 AP exams that Lowell students will take this year.] Dear Lowell Alumni Association, I want to personally thank you for the June Shafer Memorial Scholarship you offered me. This scholarship will make a lasting human impact on me and my family – and I plan to put it to good use! I am attending UCLA where I intend to continue building on the foundation in journalism that I received at Lowell through my studies and at the Daily Bruin. I deeply value the time I spent writing for The Lowell and I truly appreciate this recognition. Cooper Logan, Class of 2015 Dear Lowell Alumni Association, I want to let you know how much we appreciate the generosity of the Lowell Alumni Association’s grant to our girls varsity soccer program – and to extend our
gratitude for your understanding of how much it matters to the girls to have gender appropriate uniforms. Thanks, as always, for your encouragement and support for Lowell soccer. Gene Vrana Head coach, Girls soccer Assistant coach, Boys soccer [A recent LAA grant provided $880 to purchase 45 pairs of uniform shorts for our tremendous girls soccer team.] Dear Lowell Alumni Association, I just wanted to thank you so much for the funds for the 45 new task chairs for the computer classroom. Art Simon and students from our 1st and 2nd block classes assembled them the Friday before break and they make the classroom look and feel like a whole new place! (I’m starting to forget the time that the CFO of Twitter came to visit our Girls Who Code club and the chair he sat in broke or the time one of my students asked me for some duct tape so she could tape over a piece of metal that was hurting her elbow after the arm rest of the chair had fallen off.) One student said that having the chairs arrive made him feel like someone cares! I’ve told all my students to join the Lowell Alumni Association when they graduate from college and get their first paycheck so they can return the favor — “Being charitable can make you feel good by making others feel good.” And one student responded, “Yeah . . . be chairitable.” Thanks again!! Ellen Reller, Faculty [An LAA grant for $7,000 provided a full set of 45 chairs for our computer classroom, replacing a hodgepodge of brokendown chairs.]
Page 4 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
K eeping In Touch 1936
Spring & Fall
JANET BONT O’NEILL announces “Am still around at 96! Surprised how many Oakmonters are Lowellites. Should have a reunion up here.” JUNE DE GANNA ADAMS says “After 51 years (ending March 2013) of employment, still getting used to the leisure and pleasure of retirement. Hello to any 1936 alumni.”
1937
Spring & Fall
CECELIA STEINBERG HURWICH who returned to graduate school after a career in interior design, received her Ph.D. at age 70 and launched a new career as an advocate for older Americans. Her memoir, 92 and Dancing, tells the story of her exciting and adventurous life. Now 95, she lives in Berkeley in the comfortable brown-shingled house where her three children grew up, with her loving partner Don Ross. ROBERT SKINNER recaps “After 26 years in the Air Force, banking took 20 years more and I finally retired, enjoyed playing tennis for more years than I can count. Remained in our Vacaville home for a total of 57 years, before retiring to Paradise Valley Estates with my wife, Dolores. Enjoying life and being spoiled in this fabulous community. Will celebrate my 95th birthday in September. My wife and I also celebrated our 70th wedding anniversary in May.”
1938
Spring
GLENNETTE ALLEN NOREEN updates “Just celebrated my 95th birthday and moved to a board and care facility.”
1939
Spring
Daughter of DOROTHY EDNA KUHN TARKINGTON relates “My mother is 94 and a proud graduate of Lowell High School. Over the many years since her 1939 graduation, she kept in touch with many of her classmates and recently commented she is the only one left. She is also a graduate of San Francisco State.”
1941
Fall
ELLA GROSS DRISCOLL shares “Still going strong, but slowed down by broken hip caused by a fall in September. Keeping up with art and photography.” YUTAKA KOBAYASHI comments “Having reached 90 this year, I had a magical year playing the 4 National USTA 90’s and Over Tournaments. I ended the year with 2 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze in singles, and 3 golds and 1 silver in doubles playing with 4 different partners for the first time. I have also selfpublished my memoir, “A Nisei’s American Odyssey” two years ago. Unfortunately, I had only 40 copies printed. There are 2 copies I donated to the North Hero and Wellesley free libraries. Note: I will probably be ranked #1 in the country by the USTA for 2014.”
1942
Spring
FRANK R. GRANNIS hails “A special greeting to my oldest friend and classmate, Bob Bloch ’42.”
1943
Spring
ALAN MARGOLIS shouts “Alan Margolis age 88 is ‘keeping on!’”
1944
Spring & Fall
BARBARA CARLSON SHOWLER tells “Graduated Stanford in 1948, taught first
grade in Carmichael, CA and retired 28 years ago.” EDWARD GARZERO writes “Just 87, retired as a Scenic Artist/department head. Film industry in NY is stronger than ever. One son, Joseph, his sons Alex, Peter, Michael, and James are ‘on board.’ I loved working in films, and I love retirement!”
1945
Spring
ALINE LITTMAN NAPP shares “Joel and I are enjoying living in Seattle and exploring the many beautiful areas of the state. We are still traveling. The most memorable cruise was to Iceland which is made of mostly volcanic rock and thermal pools.”
1946
Fall
JOANNE SUSSKIND TICK mentions “Still waiting for my class reunion, in the meantime, lots of travel and busy at home.” FRED FIELD remarks “Hey Bill Evers – let’s not spoil the pleasure of ‘Keeping in Touch’ with political opinions.”
1947
Spring & Fall
EDWARD SIMONS yells “Greetings to my June ’47 classmates! I’m still alive and well in San Rafael, although saddened by the recent loss of Dolores, my dear wife of 63 years (St. Paul H.S., S.F.; head librarian at Marin Catholic H.S.), following a long illness. Yet, our three sons and their families (including seven grandchildren) are nearby, and that helps. Also, I’m saddened to learn of the passing of my distant cousin, Logan Josselyn (… ‘call me Logon.’) Scroggy ’47. Now, I fill my time by doing volunteer work. As my English forebears would say, I ‘press on, regardless’.”
is with the San Mateo Sherriff’s Dept. Eldest married with 2 great-grandsons for me. Sure missed not having a 65th reunion. Hope we can get together while we are well enough to attend.” BARBARA FREEMAN WEBBER mails “Still keeping busy as an Academy of Science docent and a volunteer at the Fine Arts Museums. Son, Marc Webber ’75 lives in Homer, Alaska and works as a Marine Biologist. Granddaughter Elise, a junior in high school is an A+ student.” BETTY LUDEMANN BURRIDGE pens “I’m a retired Physical Therapist and frequently run into Lowell Alumni — a great pleasure! The recent demise of Rudy Oppenheimer ’43 M.D. is a great loss.” LOUISE BARSOTTI claims “Older, creakier, but still plugging away! My cat and I live quietly in a retirement community, especially since I’ve recently gotten rid of my car. Makes me think of when Bill Espenshade helped teach me to drive while we were Lowell students. He chose the road leading to Stinson Beach and scared me silly. HARRY HAMBLY announces “I have closed the doors to ‘Hambly Studios’ but still enjoy keeping in touch with those who have inspired me through the years, including some favorite Lowellites.” DONNA PARRISH HONEY posts “Hi 49ers! Hope all is well with everyone. I think of all the fun times that we had. Stay well.” ELSIE SOLOMON MICKOLA comments “I graduated from Lowell 65 years ago this year — Jan 1950 — and learned the value of continued learning from my four years under their tutelage. It’s a gift to know that has continued all these years… blessings ahead.” HARRY JACOB — see 1950 news.
KENNETH D. GARDNER brags “Living under Nevada skies and loving it!”
LEWIS MICHAEL HORNE — see 1950 news.
CHARLES FOGE and BARBAR A GOODWIN FOGE ’48 give thanks “Two classmates now married 62 years! Thank you Lowell!”
DR. HARRY WONG reports, “Took a Silversea cruise last September that took us to countries 124, 125, 126: Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland. In October we spent ten days dining in Italy capped by going to the #3 restaurant in the world, Osteria Francescana in Modena.”
TONY VAN VLIET shares “Enjoying two new great granddaughters this year”
1948
Spring & Fall
EDIE KNIGHT sends “My husband passed away a few years ago. Busy with politics, volunteering, and traveling.” ROBERTA NUGENT COTTER and JAMES C. JONES recount “We are both ’48 graduates. The old ‘brickyard’ provided us a great inspirational start. Met again at our 55th, haven’t looked back since.” JOSEPH KARP greets “Hi to all of my friends and classmates from 1944–1946 years at Lowell. Good health still play tennis 2X week. Live a happy live with my wife Rosie.” MARTIN H. SOSNICK informs “Still living in the Bay Area. Been married to Goldie for 58 years. Three children, six grandchildren, retired five times. Too boring having nothing to do. Hello to all my classmates.” BARBARA GOODWIN FOGE — see 1947news.
1949
Spring & Fall
HELEN RAY advises “I live near Crater Lake National Park. If you’ve never visited the lake, put it on your summer visit list. It is really well worth it!” SHEILA BERKE HYMAN shares “Grandson graduated as a Civil Engineer, now working. Youngest granddaughter is at Sacred Heart, graduating with honors. Hoping to go to USF. Middle granddaughter
1950
Spring & Fall
BARBARA NEWMAN WITTER and ‘PHELPS’ DEAN WITTER share “Still enjoying living in SF. Have downed sized to a 1928 apartment in Cow Hollow. Retreat to the town at Sonoma on the weekends to swim and bike around town. Can’t believe how much life has changed during our life time!” JOHN RISING posts “Ellen and I are going to Holland (she is Dutch) in the spring and then on to Venice to see our daughter, Cynthia, her husband Aldo and our youngest grandson, Ian. We spend time with older daughter Tina, husband Jeff and three grandsons the oldest of whom, Franklin, missed Lowell but is a sophomore at Stanford where his mom and dad are alumni. Rounding out is our son John who lives in San Rafael with glamorous wife Jennifer and beautiful daughter Ninette. Am I prejudiced? Fondest greetings to all my fellow alums.” DONALD GOLD recalls “Had a great weekend with Don Feinstein and Jackie Goldberg Feinstein ’51, Don Green and Joan Green, and Harry Jacob ’49 – Professor Emeritus at University of Minnesota Medical School. By the way, I had not seen Harry since we graduated. We all met in Palm Desert. We had a ball!” PATRICIA HORNE LEROCKER notes “Now that we’re in our eighties, both my brother (L. Mike Horne ’49) and I agree that we wished we had paid more attention.”
JOHN FLETCHER declares “Retired from private practice 10/14, continuing to teach medicine.”
1951
Spring & Fall
Rabbi BERNARD FRANKEL shares “I am 80 years old. My Forensic Society experience with George Lorbeer was a turning point for me in my development as a speaker and as a future rabbi. I am now a retired rabbi at Park Synagogue in Beachwood, Ohio. I would enjoy being in contact with my fellow students in the Forensic Society.” JOHN SCHWABACHER reveals “Traveling the world with wife Madelene Wong. Grandson Daniel is Assistant Editor at New Yorker Magazine. Granddaughter Lani graduated in December 2014 from Brown University.” DON FEINSTEIN and JACKIE GOLDBERG FEINSTEIN — see 1950 news.
1952
Spring
GAIL HURLEY RUXTON discloses “Just back from visiting son in Bali, Indonesia, then to visit relatives and friends in Australia!” EDWARD BORDIN tells “Still enjoying life in the slow lane, here in Sarasota, Florida. We are in South Florida’s cultural capital, and enjoying every minute of it.” RICHARD ‘BUZ’ NASON states “2014 continued to be busy with travels to India, Sri Lanka, China, Philippines, Morocco, Germany, Poland, England and family & friends in the USA. We plan to stay busy with same in 2015. Best wishes and peace to all.” JOAN GOLDAMMER KJEMTRUP informs “Still living in Los Gatos. My grandson attends UC Santa Cruz. Had a big 80-year birthday celebration in my garden. Looking forward to class of ’52 reunion: ‘The silent Generation.’” LESLIE COTTSCHAMER CREWS remarks “Busy! with family, travel, etc. Who knew old age was going to be so exciting?! Turn 80 in the next few months.”
1953
Spring & Fall
ANDY CROW writes “I plan to have an 80th Birthday Party for everyone in our class. It will occur at a park in Corte Madera on Sat. June 6th from 11 am – 4 pm. If you would like to come, please email me at rolfing@ comcast.net.” PETER A. DAHL types “Barbara and I continue to spend about 1/3 of the year in rural Northern Idaho – feeding birds and deer while overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene; rest of the year in S.F. Barbara volunteers at the Lowell Alumni Archives on campus along with Claudia Wolf Eshoo ’67 and Yvonne Ng ’82. I still walk about 2 ½ miles/day and play fast chess most Saturdays. We had a great 60th Reunion in 2013 – I was helped in particular by John McGilvray and Judy Kelleher Rigas. We will miss Committee member, Bob Celso, who passed on a few months after the reunion. I also miss my duplicate bridge playing partner, Mike Descilo, who taught Math and other subjects at Lowell (1962-1997); he died in the fall of 2014 from a respiratory ailment.” PHILIP FEHLEN states “Dick Blum and Chuck Travers, due to bad grades, ended up at Cal. So when we attended the big game this year, I was able yet again to offer condolences to these losers.” STEWART WEINBERG communicates “Still practicing law, and enjoying our grandchildren.”
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 5 MARTIN SEGOL writes “Seventh grandchild — Madeline March 5, 2014. Lost my wife of 55 years to Alzheimer’s May 23, 2014. Please contribute to Alzheimer’s Association.” ALLAN MORRISON — see 1954 news. JOAN ERBENTRAUT GORDON pronounces “Wrote a novel on ‘diversity within families’ titled Gra Im Thu! I Love You! available on Kindle and Nook.” HELEN STONE LEVENSON converses “Still go to school with Pete Reider at the Senior Program at Brandeis.” DONN BERNSTEIN remarks “I have been in New York City 40 years and have not seen a Lowell face other than when Coach Donohue brought his baseball team to the Big Apple during an eastern swing. Our team lunch was one of the memorable events of my time here. Come back. I am semi retired after a 15 year stint at ABC Sports and 25 years at Cohn & Wolfe, a public relations agency. Go Lowell!”
1954
Spring & Fall
ALLAN MORRISON ’53 and ADRIANE MODLIN MORRISON ’54 post “Allan still practicing medicine and teaching at U.C.L.A. Adriane is active as a docent at L.A. County Museum of Art. Both of us served as co-presidents of Stop Cancer, a non-profit raising funds for cancer research.” EARL NORGARD expresses “Looking forward to celebrating at the 60th reunion with Carol Hicks et al.”
1955
Spring
MARSHALL KREUTER shouts “You’re doing good work Lowell, keep it up!” MICHAEL FULLER reveals “My novel, Legacy, was published in 2013 by Event Horizon Press and received the 20th Annual Book Publicists Award for Best Fiction this year and it is available at CreateSpace. Thank you, Mr. Englander!” LOUISE EDLER TAYLOR discloses “We are enjoying Grass Valley, grandchildren and University of California Retiree/Emeriti Activities. Our property near the California/ Oregon border burned in a wildfire, but house and barn were saved.” PEGGY BERRY SUTHERLIN posts “I was overwhelmed to be one of 4 to be inducted in the Amer. Contract Bridge League Hall of Fame in 2014, Sorry Don Krauss couldn’t attend.”
1956
Spring & Fall
SONJA SWENSON TAYLOR updates “I’m doing well after a total right hip replacement. I expect to return to my normal activities by the first of the year.” JOAN SWIMMER GELLER shouts “Hello to all my friends in the Class of ’56.” ARDEN GREENBLAT shares “Having completed 37 years by 2006 in service to the state of California in six different agencies with an interruption of working for FEMA following the Loma Prieta, I had previously been employed in education, retailing, and the U.S. Coast Guard. 2014 culminates with 61 years of continuous volunteering in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Currently I am involved in Korean Studies. Plans for 2015 include a return to Europe and extensive traveling in the Orient. Hope I get to see you along the way. DENNIS ZICKERMAN sent a donation “In memory of Maurice Englander, most demanding of teachers, who instilled a lifelong love of literature. RIP”
bout with pneumonia, probably from passing out on a lawn during rainy December. Live and Learn.” ARLIN LAYMON says “I have been fortunate to stay in touch with several classmates. Unfortunately, Patricia Murray Boyd, Bryan Gould, and myself sadly went to the memorials of two of my closest friends, Nancy Leach Muller and Mike Rucka. My retirement has been great fun performing as iconic characters that have white beards, i.e. Santa Claus, Easter Gnome, Uncle Sam, and my favorite the ‘49er Miner’. But my main passion is playing rugby with my 42-year old son. In 2014, Chile was my 28th country. This year we go to play in England! Not all me, I do support my wife Charlene at her Rowing Regattas.” MICHAEL C. KAVANAUGH types “It is so delightfully retrograde to send news via newsletters in today’s crazy social media environment. Nonetheless, as a non Facebook person, I send greetings to all my old Lowell 1958 friends from my home in Oakland, where, after living here for 31 years, it appears there is now a there there. I am enjoying late fatherhood watching my 22-year old daughter find employment in the conservation world (any ideas out there?) after a conservation degree from UC Davis in June, and my son fight the academic demons studying mechatronics engineering at Chico State. Who has ever heard of this field? It’s just one of the many signs of the changing times. I continue to enjoy my career in environmental consulting, now at Geosyntec Consultants, fully engaged in some of the more difficult environmental issues of our times, oil pipelines, desalination plants, copper mines and the challenges of achieving a sustainable future. My wife, Carol James, also an engineer, is now working in the public school world with kids with special needs. I wish you all good health and continued well being.” BENJAMIN R. TONG posts “On the verge of a second retirement (professor, Clinical Psychology PsyD Program, Calif. Inst. of Integral Studies, SF). First one was early retirement 20 yrs ago (Asian American Studies Dept., San Francisco State Univ.). Continuing as psychotherapist in private practice and instructor in Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong. Wife Lori retired recently. Son Erik, 27, (Class of 2004) is a paramedic. Would love to hear from any classmates who are still around and can remember the good times at the original Lowell campus.”
1958
Spring & Fall
HOWARD NEWBY composes “It is a pleasure to look back and realize that it has been 56 years since I graduated. I am proud of what Lowell installed in me – the desire to excel. I was invited to attend Cambridge University to study and write a paper on Anglo-American relations 1940-1946 and visit the German artillery emplacements at the coast of France.” PAUL HOFMANN reports he and his wife are enjoying their marvelous grandchildren, but he is still working full time with a busy schedule of domestic and international travel, including trips to Europe and eight days working in Tanzania’s major teaching hospital. JEANNE BUSH announces “I’m now the proud great-great aunt of ‘Little’ Tobin born in July 2014 and Keely born in October 2014. Yes! a boy and girl born to two of my brother’s granddaughters. Tobin is his first name. Looking forward to being with him Thanksgiving.” CHERIE SINGER WILLIAMS writes “Like reading the newsletter. Enjoying retirement more time for family and goofing off. Any plans for a class of June 1958 reunion?”
ANTHONY MATHIOS boasts “Alive and well in Tucson.”
1959
1957
JERRY BRAUNSTEIN informs “Have finally closed the office after 40 plus years of law practice. Now enjoying grandchild who lives too far away (Washington, DC).
Spring & Fall
ROBERT KUCICH shares “I had a little
Spring & Fall
We have traveled to all 50 states and set foot on all seven continents and are looking forward to another cross country RV trip in the spring. Enjoyed our 55th reunion this fall and are sorry to have to miss the 56th in Feb. Will try to plan differently in 2016.” MICHAEL NEWMAN reveals “Life is good on the beautiful south coast of Oregon. Ranch life is better than ever. The horses and my 50s era classic car museum keep us busy every day. We also have cattle and harvest hay every year. Linda and I have rescued a number of dogs and cats over the years as well. We have great salmon and steelhead fishing from the Coquille River, which borders the property on 3 sides. We could never trade this life for life in the city.” ROBERT GERMMINGER recounts “Really enjoyed the 55th reunion in October and sharing memories; those that we’ll admit, with Pat, Gary, Fred, Bill, Kevin, Julie, Steve, and others. Thanks to the committee for your organization. Missed John C. and Randy K. Expecting 5th great-grandchild in June. Hoping for a girl this time. God bless you all.” JONNY G. GARBER expresses “The song is ended, but the melody lingers on 1957 to 1960. Thank you.” LARRY CLOSE sends “My wife Pat and myself are enjoying retirement on our 4 acres in Coquille, Oregon. Looking forward to our annual class reunions each Feb 28th. Enjoyed seeing everyone at our 55th.” JULI HAMMOND KRAMER appeals “Who remembers Junior Achievement in San Francisco in 1959? Contact me: juli.kramer@ comcast.net” LEE SANKOWICH owns and operates his theatre, the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles. RICHARD ‘DICK’ BERGAMASCHI — see 1962 news.
1960
Spring & Fall
TED BRESLER writes: “It is now some 55 years after we converted Maurice Argent’s Prose Fiction class into an Introduction to Theater class. At that time I never realized that after reading Death of a Salesman in class I would eventually perform in a production of that work, and at least 30 others, many years later. And I never realized that in 2009 I would write my own play, Who I Am – and Who We Are, and that a staged reading would be performed in Fremont on January 18, 2015. Or that within 5 weeks all 70 seats would be sold out. But I suppose stranger things have happened.” DAVID ANTHONY BRACKER announces “72 years of age (Yikes!) and still going strong. Happily remarried for 28 years. Retired from UCSF for 10 years. Moved to Crocker Highlands in Oakland and love it — still a ’49er fan. Great daughter with two spoiled grandkids. We spend the winter months at our home in Bucerias, Mexico 20 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. Playing tennis and still active on two non-profit boards of directors in SF.”
1961
Spring & Fall
KEITH DAVIS expresses “I was very saddened with the death of my dear friend Wally (Lawrence) Crawford ’61. He was a wonderful man. My wife and I, our two wonderful children, and three grandchildren are doing well. Shout out to my ’61 classmates.” DANA BLOOM SHAPIRO tells “Happily living back in San Francisco. Our two daughters live in the East - Vermont and New York. Our four grandchildren are doing well.” WILLIAM GRAFF comments, “Retired now but working a bit at Giant’s games. I am still very thankful for my time at Lowell. Always hope today’s students will see what an advantage they have.” WESLEY TOM acknowledges “Just wanted to say hi to Ken U., Henry D., Dennis J.,
Dennis Y., Ivan V., Mark R., Tony R., Bill H., Joe V., Bob W. ’63, Paul R. ’63. Hope I didn’t forget anyone. Go Giants, Niners & Warriors!” KRISTINE BLACK PARKER writes “Field Supervisor and Leadership Coach for the UC Berkeley Principal Leadership Institute. Retired from SFUSD as the Principal at Jose Ortega Elementary School. Enjoying life!”
1962
Spring & Fall
ELVIRA MEROLLA BERGAMASCHI and DICK BERGAMASCHI ’60 share “Dick and I enjoyed lots of travel this year. Highlights were a Panama Canal cruise from S.F. and an African safari with class pals Sandra Bergamaschi Sullivan and Shirley Paintner Perkins. The 3 of us were celebrating our upcoming 70th birthdays. I enjoy my volunteer work at Humane Society Silicon Valley and occasionally sub at my old school, Lowell Elementary, San Jose, where I taught for 21 years. Our best wishes to our Lowell classmates for 2015!” SARA LANGENTHAL ADAMS and GERALD ADAMS update “We are staying in Iowa! We have moved to a lovely home in our local retirement community here in Grinnell, Iowa and are enjoying the freedom and community available here. Come visit us!” PHILIP D. SAXE inquires “Moved to Delaware after 46 years in Connecticut. Retired just south of Dover, DE. Are there any Lowell graduates in the area?” DEWEY SEETO tells “Two of my four adult children are living and working abroad. One is in New Zealand, and the other in Japan.”
1963
Spring
JANICE DRUIAN posts “Life in Central Oregon continues to be delightful. I am well into my second career as landscape painter and can now claim museum shows. www. druianstudios.com Best of all, my husband of 43 years, Greg is fun, supportive and never boring.” MARY MAURER OTTO calls “Let’s get together for our 70th.” GREGORY PARASKOU reports “Retired after 40 years as a Public Defender, and living in the beautiful wine and horse country of Santa Ynez Valley. Enjoying travel, cooking classes, piano lessons, gardening and volunteer work.”
1964
Spring & Fall
VIVIAN SINICK IMPERIALE details “Had fun seeing old friends at the 50th reunion. Enjoying retirement. Gearing up to work on a political campaign or two for the November election.” MARC CHRISTENSEN explains “The Lowell Fall Class ’63 / Spring ’64 had a wonderful reunion weekend last October. The main 50th reunion event at the St. Francis Yacht Club, on the Marina Green had well over 200 attendees. It was great seeing so many classmates and renewing past relationships. The feedback from the reunion was nothing but positive. The reunion committee will continue to meet to plan future activities.” PAMELA OTT MAZUR expresses “I’m sorry that I missed our reunion. I’m still teaching math at Anne Arundel Community College and staying busy with two lovely and active grandchildren.” CHRISTINE BERNSTEIN RODRIGUEZ shares “We took our granddaughter, Aulani, to Hawaii for the first time in June 2014. We stayed at Disney’s Aulani Resort and she loved being at ‘her’ hotel. We also took her to the third game of the world series on Oct. 24th.” CAROL OLMERT writes “I very much continued on next page
Page 6 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
K eeping In Touch enjoyed seeing fellow classmates at our 50th reunion in October. Thanks to the Reunion Committee for an excellent event!” WILLIE FAY HEARRING GARRETT announces, “Returned to California last December to care for my mother who reached 100 years old last July. Looking forward to our October 2015 Reunion.”
1965
Spring & Fall
DAVID GABRIEL comments “‘The place has changed,’ said Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcock’s 1958 Vertigo. The City is now a world-class mecca of start-ups, social media, biotech, sustainable food, and millennial is in blue jeans. Formality is gone but diversity and civility live on! Ecstatic to live in the Bay Area (Marin) as our 50th class reunion approaches. SF home to Gabriel Family since 1862!” ALAN C. MENDELSON reveals “In December 2014, I will be the first service provider to receive the Bay Bio Pantheon Leadership Award given each year to Bay Area Leaders of the biotechnology industry. The award is in recognition of my ‘pioneering leadership’ in helping numerous emerging biotech companies get their start and unwavering encouragement of their efforts to bring drugs and medical devices to market, and for promoting the Northern California life science cluster.’” CHAYA ‘TINA’ UNTERBERGER writes “I am settled happily in a small rural town in the Arizona desert with my partner Norman Andreassen ’67. We enjoy the fresh air, birds, plants, desert, cottontails, snakes, nighttime viewing of the moon and stars and hearing the howls of coyotes, as well as eating an entirely organic diet and wearing barefoot shoes. We would welcome hearing from anyone who remembers us. tinau@citlink.net” GARY THOMPSON proclaims “Thinking about ‘retiring’ or at least cutting back to a three-day week. Watch out trout and steelhead! (also gophers)” LINDA BERRY STEWART shares “Still living in San Diego and enjoying retirement...I highly recommend it. And 5 grandchildren complete my life.” STEVE HAHN announces “We were blessed with the birth of our first grandchild last June.” CONRAD CUMMINGS writes “Always happy to hear about Lowell students’ wonderful accomplishments in music! Bravo students! Bravo faculty! Keep up the great work!” RICHARD TERRY writes “Retired, living in Moraga, CA. Hoping for a 55-year Reunion next year!”
1966
Spring & Fall
MARGO LEVY VIGNOLA tells “Happily retired. Daughter married this year. Son married 4 years ago. All good.” MARK HARRIS communicates “Halfway through year 43 at The Wheeler School in Providence, RI. Son Bart graduated from Brown in 2012. Daughter Ella is in the 3rd grade, also at Wheeler.” ELIZABETH ERIKSON MARNUL updates “Retired from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Dec. 2013. Doing a lot of volunteer work for the S.W. Florida Symphony Orchestra, Faith Presbyterian Church & PEO. Loving retirement.” AL KOVALICK updates “Still consulting in Silicon Valley. My dad is pushing 94 and doing well. Happy and healthy with my wife May. So many fond memories of ‘Uncle Carl Koenig’ and his gang.”
GARY ZIPKIN shares “Just celebrated my 40th anniversary with my law firm and Barbara and I will celebrate our 44th anniversary in another few days. Retirement looms larger each month – in our Hawaii home on the Big Island. A shout-out to my friends in the class of fall ’66!” ROB FORMAN updates, “My wife and I moved to Washington in 1978 and enjoyed our careers in public education. We spend our time with two grandsons, working on a house built in the 1950s, playing music, bridge, golf, & yoga. Going on our fourth Rick Steves Tour.”
1967
Spring & Fall
SUSAN SHAIN speaks “Living in S.F. Two grown children both attended Lowell — who knew! My daughter is an attorney in DC clerking for a Federal judge, my son is a professor of psychology at U. of Miami & as for me — CEO of Coro Center for Civic Leadership.” CLAUDIA WOLF ESHOO and husband Bob, proudly announce the birth of their first grandchild in April. Daughter, son-in-law and grandparents are ecstatic. Claudia also reports “our 50th reunion is a short 2 years away, declare your interest in helping with the plans by contacting me at Lowellindian67@ gmail.com. GO LOWELL!” JAY ZEMANSKY mails “Still working at the Insurance Brokerage, #1 daughter is a contractor, #2 a finance manager, #3 is a nurse and #4 is working in my agency and six grandchildren. When in Kentfield, stop on by.” PAUL WILNER tells “Now teaching journalism at the Academy of Art and freelancing after a long stint at the San Francisco Examiner and then the Chronicle. Cheers.” BRUCE ALAN SPIEGELMAN informs “I’m President of Western Textile & Manufacturing in Sausalito. Doing fine.” NORMAN ANDREASSEN — see 1965 news. JAS ADAMS posts “I semi-retired from the Oregon Attorney General’s Office in June 2014, where I was the Attorney-in-Charge of Natural Resources. I will be teaching Oregon Administrative Law at Willamette University College of Law this spring. I also hope to do more sailing on my 28’ Mariner sailboat “Peregrine” this summer on the mighty Columbia River! My spouse Diane Rosenbaum was re-chosen by her colleagues as Senate Majority Leader in the Oregon Senate after increasing the majority from 16 to 18, of 30.” ROBERTA L. CHEW shares “Jay and I live in Alexandria, VA. Retired in 2004 from the U.S. Department of State; was a Foreign Service Officer for 26 years; lived overseas in the Caribbean, Taiwan, Guangzhou, Tunisia and Oman. Worked part-time at State on India, Nepal, Iran, and Taiwan until April 2010.” LYNN MEIER NOVELLI is wner and Designer for Lynn Novelli Design at www. lynnnovellidesign.com JAY A. ZEMANSKY writes “Hello Fellow Grads of Fall ’67’/Spring ’68 yep it’s that time of life...My office has a specialists in Medicare Supplemental Health Coverage... give us a shout as we sign up for Medicare Part A AND B...don’t forget part D also. Your mascot of 1967 Football Season.”
1968
Spring & Fall
DENNIS SHINBORI and WENDY DREFKE SHINBORI shout “Looking forward to our Big 50th.”
BONNIE JAMES ST JAMES says “Still living the good life with my husband of 34 years. We now have 2 grandchildren who live with our daughter & son-in-law in Moscow, Idaho. Our middle daughter is in grad school at Columbia University & teaching there as well. Our son is living & working in Houston as a Chemical Engineer – Yes, life is good! Hope all of you are doing well & living La Vida Loca too — Cheers!” ANDRE HASSID hollers “Looking forward to our next reunion.” STEPHANIE ROCHE BISHOP informs “I have retired after 41 years in nursing.”
continued from previous page
actively doing CPA stuff after forty years. Thanks to Lowell for a great education and high school experience!” LINDA POWELL-MCMILLAN updates “The Flying M Ranch continues to host many guests through Airbnb. Now that the rains have started we will renew the herd of cattle that supplies grass-fed beef to many friends and family. The drought affected the olive production but we hope to have a better harvest in 2015 and will continue olive oil production. Our annual journey was to Portugal but we also indulged in several trips to Mexico (Cancun and Cabo) and a road trip into Oregon.”
SHELBORNE FUNG states “I am now 64. My wife still needs me, she still feeds me, doesn’t lock the door when I’ve been out to quarter to four (PM not AM). No need to change fuses anymore, but there still are birthday greetings, valentines, and bottle of wine. Sunday mornings we go for a walk rather than a ride. Haven’t been to the Isle of Wight as yet, and it’s unlikely any grandchildren of ours would be named Vera, Chuck, or Dave. Hope everyone else turning 64 (or who’ve already turned 64) has a great year. Keep in mind that 64 in hexadecimal notation is only 40.”
JANET SURKIN writes “Keeping busy in Chicago. Our sons Jacob and Ethan are living in San Francisco, so we are visiting more frequently than in times past.”
LETA WONG GUPTILL says “Hello fellow alums! Hard to believe how fast time has gone by since high school and soon ready for retirement and social security. Still working away as a Research Analyst to make sure regulations are followed to ensure lab animals receive the highest quality care and ethical treatment at OHSU. My husband retired from Intel last fall after 30 years working at Intel’s chip “Fab” near us. Son is finishing up at Oregon State University in Fitness and Nutrition and hopes to eventually get a Masters in Public Health. Daughter continues at Portland State University this fall to finish her degree in Graphic Design. Wish we lived closer to the Bay Area to visit more often with family and friends… maybe after full retirement. Then it’s on to more fun things like travel, refining my guitar skills, and working out with our local Dragon Boat crew.”
LYDIA MARTINEZ brags “So happy living on our beautiful 2 acres in Sebastopol with our 3 Labrador Retrievers. ‘Kids’ are grown up and on their own. Oldest son is a chef and our daughter & youngest son are Union Electricians, IBEW Local 6, San Francisco.”
1969
Spring & Fall
MELECIO M. SANTOS recaps “After graduating from Lowell in ’69, I went to UC Davis for both undergrad and law school. Passed the bar on the first try, but had no leads for a job. Except for law school friend Ernie Llorente ‘67, which led to an impromptu interview with the SF Public Defender Robert Nicco. After ten minutes, Mr. Nicco said ‘You seem like a nice guy, Ernie likes you, you went to Lowell – can you start on Monday.’ After 36 happy years, I retired last year. (Mr. Nicco went to Gal.)” RICHARD REVELL states “My wife and I recently moved from the Seattle area to the north end of the Big Island of Hawaii. We are having a new home built above the town of Hawi.” SORIN EREMIA proclaims “Still teaching at UCLA and working half time private practice. I still enjoy skiing, swimming, golf, traveling, and working out with my son, who’s now a junior, and a better student-athlete than I was in high school. Wish good health to everyone.” GAYLE WILLARD HIGAKI tells “Retired from Bank of America Merrill Lynch in June 2014 after a 40 year career with the company. I am happily enjoying my retirement, doing all of the things you don’t have time to do when work ‘gets in the way.’” JOHNSON WONG writes “My wife, Margaret, and I truly enjoy spending time with our two darling granddaughters, Emma (2 ½ yrs. Old) and Juliette (4 mos.). Still
WENDY LEE QUAN informs “Greetings all! I’ve retired after 31 years at Kaiser Permanente where I last held the Assistant Medical Group Administrator position, East Bay. On to travel, music & new life. Hello to the Class of Fall ’69.”
1970 Spring
PHILIP MATTHEWS shares “Still enjoying and practicing law. Very excited about Giants 2010, 2012 & 2014 Championship Seasons. Hard to believe it’s been over 40 years since we were at Lowell.” PETER KWOK and SHIRLEY YEE KWOK hail “Greetings to friends and fellow alumni. We have now both retired and are busy planning our travels and enjoy time with our granddaughter Kristi. Best wishes to all!” JULIA QUINN sends “Recently retired after 36 ½ years with County of San Diego. Been busy travelling and enjoying other pursuits.” NANCY LIM-YEE hails “Greetings and Happy Year of the Ram to the class of 1970! Well, after working 39 years for the City and County of San Francisco in the Dept of Public Health and running one of it’s children’s behavioral health clinics for the past 9 years, I retired at the end of June 2014. Am enjoying retirement, but remain quite busy with my volunteer activities; waiting for my husband to retire. Our 3 grown kids are doing well, so no complaints. Best wishes to you all.” STEVEN ULLMANN broadcasts “My new book just came out (with my co-author, Mary Helen Spooner), entitled Cuban Health Care: Utopian Dreams, Fragile Future’”. LESTER HARDY — see 1975 news. TOMMY L. LIM, OD was awarded 2013 Optometrist of the Year by the California Optometric Association. “I knew I was nominated but didn’t think it was going to happen, I am on cloud nine.”
1971 GLENDA JOY BENNETT-JACKSON reports “I attended UCSD, and continued my performing arts, dance and studied Pre-Med which I did not complete. I’ve worked in various fields which I’ve mostly enjoyed. I retired early which afforded me the opportunity to stay home with my two daughters. They are both beautiful and considerate girls, I have been blessed to have them. My eldest daughter, has a beautiful son; and he brings me great joy, truely bringing my life full circle. I am happy. I enjoy social media — Facebook continued on page 11
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 7
R eunion Calendar Find all the latest Lowell reunion information at http://lowellalumni.givezooks.com Classes of Fall 1954 & Spring 1955 — 60-Year Reunion
Class of 1975 — 40-Year Reunion
Date/Time: Thursday, September 24, 2015 at Noon Location: St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco Details: Invitations have just been mailed, so please contact us if you didn’t receive one. Price is $75 per person for what promises to be a great reunion! Contact: lowell1955@gmail.com or call Robbie Hermann at (415) 439-6132 or Carol Hicks at (415) 282-7728 Website: www.lowell1955.com
Date/Time: Friday evening, October 24, 2015 Location: Basque Cultural Center, South San Francisco Details: More information coming later this year! In the meantime, please join our Facebook group page (Lowell High School San Francisco Class of 1975) Contact: Cindy Kirschner Yacob at crkirsch@comcast.net
Classes of Fall 1964 & Spring 1965 — 50-Year Reunion Date/Time: Saturday, October 10, 2015 5pm – 11pm Location: Lake Merced Golf Club Details: Travel “back in time” to 1965 when your pioneering classmates graduated from Lowell High School as proud Indians — and “Let the Good Times Roll” forward to 2015. With your Smart (as in Lowell grad) Phones and GPS, find your way to the Lake Merced Golf Club on Saturday, October 10, 2015 and dine, drink, hear great 60’s music, dance, take photos with friends and reminisce. Space is limited at the Lake Merced Golf Club. Please let us know soon if you plan to attend. Also, please send us up-to-date mailing address, phone and email. If you know how to contact any classmates, please send us their contact information. We would like to reach as many of our classmates as possible for our monumental 50th Reunion. Hotel rooms have been secured for the weekend. Hotels must be reserved by August 1, so contact Steve Rudee for all the hotel reservation details: steveru2@yahoo.com We have plans for a casual fun event for Friday night. October 9. A raffle/auction will be held at the main event so if you have an exciting prize you can donate, please contact us. Details will follow in the main mailing to be sent soon so PLEASE SEND not only your current email address but your MAILING ADDRESS. So far, we know of classmates coming from Europe, Asia, and all parts of the U.S. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime event to connect with old friends and “Let the Good Times Roll…Back in Time”. Contact: Roberta Bleiweiss at rbpromo@earthlink.net; Steve Rudee steveru2@yahoo.com or Karen Carlson-White kwhite@ix.netcom.com (keep checking for updates on our Facebook page: “Lowell High Pioneer Class of ’65”) **Thank you to Sherie Yazman for creating our reunion logo** Represent the Class of ’65 and Join the Class of 2015 at the Lowell High Commencement Ceremony –Wednesday, May 27, 2015. Please contact Roberta Bleiweiss rbpromo@ earthlink.net for details and on your availability. Who will join us? Let’s have a large turn out for our class.
Class of Fall 1965 — 50-Year Reunion Date/Time: Saturday, January 17, 2016 at 11 a.m. Location: Olympic Club (Lakeside), San Francisco Details: More information will be coming your way later this year, but we need help researching and confirming contact information for classmates as well as planning decorations, entertainment, transportation and weekend activities. Please contact Melody if you can help! Contact: Melody Moss Pagee at pageed@aol.com
Class of 1980 — 35-Year Reunion Date/Time: Saturday, September 12, 2015; 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Location: Lake Merced Golf Club, Daly City Details: It’s been 35 years since we walked the halls of Lowell sporting our Cardinal red and white through the catwalk, through the courtyard, through the football field and through our mods. So come and reminisce about our Exclusives, Kermesse, Spirit Week and Senior Boat Dance (with two bands, mind you) and get reacquainted after 35 years at our Class Reunion. And please join our facebook event page (Lowell Class of 1980 35th Reunion)! Your diligent Class of 1980 Officers: Diane Wong, Lisa Yee Brown, Elaine Fong and Joy Bagnol-Estudillo Registration/Info: Please visit https://lowellalumni.givezooks.com
Class of 1985 — 30-Year Reunion Date/Time/Location: TBA Details: Calling all Rowdy & Live ’85ers! Are you ready to party?! Ready or not, here comes our 30th reunion! Please join our Facebook group page (Lowell High School Class of 1985) for updates and help spread the word! Website: www.lowell85.com
Class of 1990 — 25-Year Reunion Anybody interested in helping to plan a reunion this year? Please contact the Lowell Alumni Association at lowellaa@lowellalumni.org or (415) 759-7830 to volunteer.
Class of 1995 — 20-Year Reunion Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015 Time/Location: TBA Details: The Reunion Committee is planning to bring you photo booths, ’90s music, beverages, hors d’oeuvres and photographic proof that you may have owned cross-color jeans at some point. You will not be forced to sit through any speeches but your class picture may be included in a few visual elements during the evening. If you have photos from high school that you would like included in the décor, please post them to our facebook page (Lowell High School, Class of 1995-20 Year Reunion). There were over 700 students in the Class of 1995 — can you help spread the word to any classmates who may be interested in attending our reunion? Please keep your contact information current via the LAA website (www.lowellalumni.org/contact/address-change) and stay connected with us via our Facebook page. See you soon!
Class of 2005 — 10-Year Reunion Date/Time: Wednesday, December 23, 2015; 7 p.m. to Midnight Location: Venue 550, San Francisco Details: More information coming soon, but please save the date! And join our facebook group for updates (Lowell Class of 2005). Contact: lowell05reunion@gmail.com Website: www.lowell2005reunion.com
Join Us For Commencement In May! Alumni from classes celebrating milestone reunions this year (Classes of 1940, 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2005) are cordially invited to join the members of the Class of 2015 by marching in the commencement exercises to be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday, May 27 at 5pm. For more information or to register to participate, please visit http://lowellalumni.givezooks.com Or contact us via e-mail (commencement@lowellalumni.org) or by phone (415.759.7830).
Page 8 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
R eunion R eports Class of 1954 Celebrates at Presidio Lowell Classes of 1954 met at the Presidio Golf Club on October 11th, 2014 for our 60th Reunion! Over 60 classmates and their spouses attended—many from out of state. All had a great time, laughing, eating, and renewing old friendships under the Lowell Banner. It was one of our best-ever reunions.
Class of 1984 — 30-Year Reunion The Class of 1984 had a very fun evening reminiscing, catching up, and dancing to the sounds of the early ‘80s on November 15, 2014. Over 170 classmates and guests filled the party location, Venue 550, in the Potrero Hill/SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco. The class had not formally reunited since their 20-year reunion in 2004, so nametags came in very handy! A couple of local food trucks provided dinner and some good-humored classmates even came dressed in their best ‘80s gear!
Joe Raffetto Foreground: Dick Courtway, right. Alison Braverman, Betsy and Bud Phillips.
Mary Lou Frizzell Cockcroft.
Jackie Secail Himes and Arleigh Greenblat presenting an award to Betsy Fletcher Glikbarg. Vic Hebert.
The reunion planning committee included (left to right): Toni (Camacho) Vedar, Mario Carmona, Esther (Recacho) Carmona, Darren Wong, Jennifer Poulakidas, Nancy (Batiloro) Felder, and Ruth Calucin.
Class of 1974 Gathers at the Legion of Honor Museum Over 250 members of the Lowell Classes of January and June 1974 and their guests gathered at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco on Saturday, October 11, 2014 to celebrate their 40 Year Reunion. The Museum café was transformed into an elegant and fun venue, and the attendees also were able to congregate in the Hall of Antiquities and enjoy the balmy evening weather in the festively-lit Museum terrace. Classmates and guests enjoyed delicious food and drink provided by one San Francisco’s top caterers and danced to tunes from our Lowell days and the present. Friends reconnected, sharing old memories and catching up on where time has taken them, and had pictures snapped in a photo booth. The band Tower of Power sent its best wishes via a personalized poster signed by each member of the band. When the lights came up at midnight, the room was still nearly full – classmates were sorry that it was over so soon. Reunion Committee co-chairs Grace (van Velthuysen) Kaplan and John Crittenden and committee members Dennis Andaya, Anita Payton, Scott Wood, David Fellows, Elizabeth (Hill) Forsyth, Connie (Gibson) D’Aura, Renee Eng, and Peter Berliner made the event happen, with the generous support of sponsors Judy Auerbach, Greg Endom, C.(Consuelo) Elizabeth (Giles) Anderson, Anita Payton, John Crittenden, Grace Kaplan, Leiko (Nakazawa) Dahlgren, Mirta (Arsenian) Cali, Lynn (Greeley) Virgilio, Janet Chang-Pryor, and Sue Adams.
Classmates and guests gather for the welcome from Reunion Co-Chair John Crittenden and a performance by the 2014 Lowell Spirit Squad.
Song girls reunite – Connie (Gibson) D’Aura, Reunion Co-Chair Grace (van Velthuysen) Kaplan, Dawn (Walker) Stephens, and Susan Adams.
Many classmates and guests enjoyed dancing to music from our Lowell days and the present, including Markos Kounalakis and his wife, Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis.
Reunion Committee member Scott Wood leads the class in the Lowell Hymn, along with committee members Connie (Gibson) D’Aura, Co-Chair Grace (van Velthuysen) Kaplan, Dennis Andaya, and John Crittenden, and the 2014 Lowell Spirit Squad
Debbie Gin and friend pose while others enjoy the balmy Indian Summer evening in the museum terrace.
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 9
Class of 1994 Reunion On Sunday, December 21, 2014 over 200 Lowellites and their significant others from the Class of 1994 reunited to celebrate their 20-year Reunion at the Press Club in San Francisco. The class was able to mingle and catch up with each other over wine, beer and tapas. The celebration was a success and rumors of a 25th reunion may be in the works!
Former Principal Paul Cheng (left) with Amir Talia. Class of 1994 Reunion Committee (from left): Sarah Chuck, Ron Wong and Sarah Prindeville.
From left: Marisa Thompson, Joe Quince, Laurie Vargas and Sekani Spero.
Lovely Lowell Ladies of 1994.
Lowell Lads of 1994.
Class of 2004 Reunion On January 3rd, Lowell’s class of 2004 had their 10-year reunion at Sens Restaurant on the Embarcadero. Over 160 alumni and their significant others gathered to share memories and reconnect over drinks and appetizers throughout the night. Many alumni were thrilled with the turnout and organized events to continue reconnecting with Lowell alumni for the days after.
Committee: The class officers of 2004 organized the reunion and were overjoyed by the presence of new and old friends! From left: Kiger Lau, Monica Louie, Sarah (Lam) Akutagawa, Rebecca Kao, Kurtis Leong and Jade Quizon. Not pictured: Grace Han.
Alumni mingled to the beat of early 2000s hits, as they flipped through old photos and yearbooks together
It was amazing to celebrate 10 years of friendship with other Lowell classmates!
Former varsity football players gathered for a team picture at the reunion.
Page 10 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
Forensics Squad Prepares for State and National Championships The more than 100 active members of the Lowell Forensic Society have had a phenomenal year, including participation in 25 tournaments and earning significant honors at tournaments in California and Arizona. Our parliamentary debate squad, with more than 50 students, has seen great success within our local league, earning the 2nd place sweepstakes award for the 2014-15 season. At the 2015 Stanford Invitational, one of the nation’s largest with a field of 138 teams, we truly made our mark as we placed three teams in the top 16. In the final round, Lowell’s Eli Pollock and Thomas White lost a narrow decision to finish in 2nd place with an overall record of 9 wins and 2 losses. Two weeks later Eli and Thomas went on to win the Windsor HS Parliamentary Invitational. And having compiled a composite record of 11-1 in league competition, they earned a coveted auto-qualification spot at the 2015 California state championship to be held later this month in Murietta. The small but talented policy debate squad racked up the most travel miles this year, competing in tournaments in Southern California and Arizona as well as throughout Northern California. Matt Beyer and Amina Zaidi hit their stride in January when they finished preliminary competition at Arizona State as the tournament’s top seed and finished as quarterfinalists. At the Stanford Invitational a few weeks later, they were the #2 seed after prelims and again finished as quarterfinalists with Matt ranked the #1 speaker and Amina the #15 speaker. We also qualified the policy debate team of Jennifer Chan and Alexandra Carey to the state championships, making this the fifth consecutive year our policy squad
Coach Terry Abad with Lowell’s 2015 State Championship Qualifiers and Alternates (from left) Andrew Wilcox, Kathy Young, Frances Sutton, Emily Hall, Thomas White, Bob Wu, Joe Genolio, Alex Carey, Jennifer Chan and Eli Pollock. has been represented at state. Even more significant is that the team of Matt Beyer and Jennifer Chan earned one of three slots from our district to the 2015 National Speech and Debate Association championships to be held this June in Dallas. This will be Lowell’s third consecutive and 44th all-time appearance at nationals, but this is our first policy team to go to nationals since Connie Yang and James Quach went
Celebrating as Quarterfinalists in Policy Debate at the 2015 Stanford Invitational are (from left) Matt Beyer, Assistant Coach Gerard Grigsby and Amina Zaidi.
in 1994. Student Congress continued to do well this year, with Ron Kharmach advancing to semi-finals at both the Arizona State and UC Berkeley Invitationals. Mitchell Wong also finished as a semi-finalist at Berkeley and Joe Genolio earned state championship alternate status as Presiding Officer. Finally, our scrappy Individual Events squad saw some significant wins with our duo interpretation team of Alyssa Poon and Kali Kecskemeti narrowly missing qualifying to the state championships while Kathy Young earned a Stanford Invitational 2nd place finishers in Parliamentary Debate trip to the state cham- Thomas White (left) and Eli Pollock. pionships in oratoriGenolio ’77; Matt Beyer’s mom is Cynthia cal interpretation. Kathy will be performing Louie ’77; and Alyssa Poon’s father is Albert Emma Watson’s speech to the United Nations Poon ’86. about gender equality titled “He For She.” Best of luck to all our competitors at the Interestingly, many of this year’s top state and national championships! speech and debate competitors are children of alumni — Mitchell Wong’s parents are For those interested in helping to fund Melody Yup Wong ’81 and James Wong travel costs for these talented students, you can ’74; Eli Pollock’s mother is Beth Ruby make a designated donation via www.lowelPollock ’72; Joe Genolio’s father is Dan lalumni.org/donate.
Lowell Events Calendar Concerts Carol Channing Theater Friday, April 24 – Band Concert at 7pm Friday, May 1 — Choir Concert at 7pm
Sports Highlights All-City Swim Meet City College of San Francisco Saturday, April 25 at 1pm
Varsity Baseball Championship AT&T Park Wednesday, May 6 at 4pm
All-City Tennis Championships Golden Gate Park Tennis Center
Boys Volleyball Championship John O’Connell HS
Singles/Doubles – Friday, May 1 at 3:30pm Team Championship – Friday, May 8 at 3:30pm
Thursday, May 21 at 6pm
Girls Soccer Championship Site TBA Saturday, May 9 at 1pm
Girls Softball Championship SF State University Tuesday, May 12 at 4pm
All-City Track Meet Kezar Stadium Saturday, May 30 Complete sports schedules available at www.lowellathletics.com or www.cifsf.org Follow us on Twitter: @lowellalumni @lowellsports
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 11
K eeping In Touch which has allowed me to re-connect with old school mates, family and friends.”
1972
Spring
MARK A. STEINER posts “I have recently been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.” DOROTHY CHUN writes “Still living in Santa Barbara and working at UCSB. We (my husband and two sons) are a family of Cal Bears :). I think back fondly on my years at Lowell.”
er Lester Hardy ’70. High school ‘besties’ Liz Hill Forsyth ’74, Nancy Ross Ryde, and Victoria Miller were enthusiastic audience members. Also had a fun performing ‘reunion’ with Liz Hill Forsyth (organist) at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. Other summer concerts included performances in BC, Canada, Nautucket, MA, and Northern Italy.”
1981
KENNETH GEE mails “Hoping to renew my alumni involvement if my son is able to follow my path through Lowell.”
DEBRA STRACH GERMENIS posts “Happy 50th to all us, Class of 82!!! A shout out to all of my good friends!! You know who you are!! Camille, Barbara, Trudy, Cheryl, Ricardo, Jorge, Marina, Celia, Jules, Marty, Lillian, Nora, and Jackie. See you at the next reunion!”
MARC WEBBER — see 1949 news.
BORIS PANKIW messages, “Have moved into my retirement home with my wife of 37 years, Michele, in lovely Pahrump, Nevada. If you are playing the 17th hole at Mountain Falls, peek over the mound and say hi.”
MARK MANBER updates “I recently moved to Texas (Houston-Kingwood). I am enjoying the lower rents and taxes. The weather here is great and the people are friendly. Any other Lowell High School graduates here in this state?”
1973
1976
Spring
AMY FINK declares “Wearing two hats now. Still have home based travel agency going on 25 years. Also a Personal Stylist at Nordstrom Stonestown Galleria. Love being back in the old neighborhood.” PAUL JENSEN praises “I very much enjoyed the 40th reunion for Class of ’73. Many thanks to the reunion committee for making it a success!” MARC MACHBITZ shares “Working at Ernst & Young in Dallas, TX. Son Aaron graduated from South Dakota State and working in Dallas as personal trainer. Daughter Rachel graduated from University of Texas at Arlington in Industrial Engineering.” RICHARD WOO contributes “I ran into Ray Ju on Thanksgiving Day. He said he is planning a big 60th birthday party in 2015 for anyone and everyone interested. Keep an eye out for details!” JAMES BAER greets “Best wishes to all fellow ’73 mates as we embark upon another decade. To all a happy and healthy new year.”
1974
Spring
MARKOS KOUNALAKIS reveals “All my latest news is at www.markoskounalakis.com” SCOTT WOOD narrates “It was great seeing everyone at the big 40th reunion in October! Awesome venue, great music & great friends! See you all at the 50th.” LIZ HILL FORSYTH — see 1975 news. DAVID FELLOWS shares “It was great seeing so many old friends at the Legion of Honor last October at our 40th reunion! The evening was truly too short to catch up with all the people I wanted to talk to, so we have to do it again! Thanks to John, Grace, Dennis, Anita, Scott and all the other committee members who worked so hard on the event.” ALIENA CHENG CHIN informs “Still slaving away as a surgical nurse, but looking forward to retirement in a few years (never thought I’d say that). Meanwhile, I’m enjoying grandparenthood immensely (never thought I’d say that either). Oh yes, it was great reconnecting with classmates at our 40th reunion. Kudos to the planning committee for pulling off such a classy venue!”
1975 CARMEN MENDIETA hails “Greetings to fellow Lowellites! Next year’s 40 year reunion will certainly be a blast. I look forward to seeing many classmates from the class of 1975. Let’s get a good ‘Soul Train” going. OK?” COUTENAY HARDY details “I had the great privilege of performing in solo recital (flute and piano) at Ovid Vineyards in St. Helena in June which was hosted by my sister-in-law Janet Pagano ’76, my broth-
JANET POPESCO ARCHIBALD describes “I’ve just completed my 25th season as solo English Hornist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. With fellow Lowell alum Margaret Wong Fondbertasse ’85 on piano and SF Opera Orchestra cellist Emil Miland we formed the Lowell Trio 7 years ago. It’s a way of honoring our wonderful high school. We play 3 shows a year at Armando’s Music Club in Martinez CA and always manage to draw a sellout crowd, for which we are grateful!” JANET PAGANO — see 1975 news.
1977 PETER STEIN writes “Proof of middle age: my personal Lowell friendships just got outnumbered by the children of friends who are now Lowell students. Yikes. Happy to see that Carol Channing returned to her alma mater recently. I will never forget her visit in 1975...all us theater geeks from Mr. Tanzi’s class lined up to sing “Hello, Carol,” and when we watched her umpteenth revival of “Hello, Dolly from the 2nd balcony of the Curran Theater she gave us a wave and shout-out at the curtain call. As for me: still freelance documentary producing, film programming, writing and conducting onstage interviews. Plus writing a solo theater piece (can’t kick the acting bug).”
1978 JULIE D. SOO writes “I am still at the CA Dept. of Insurance after 14 years! I am a Senior Staff Counsel in the Enforcement Bureau and go after the bad guys. Love hearing from fellow alums. Drop a line at jdssfdem@yahoo.com”
1979 COURTENAY HARDY details “I had the great privilege of performing in solo recital (flute and piano) at Ovid Vineyards in St. Helena in June which was hosted by my sister-in-law Janet Pagano ’76, my brother Lester Hardy ’70. High school ‘besties’ Liz Hill Forsyth ’74, Nancy Ross Ryde ’75, and Victoria Miller ’75 were enthusiastic audience members. Also had a fun performing ‘reunion’ with Liz Hill Forsyth ’74 (organist) at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. Other summer concerts included performances in BC, Canada, Nantucket, MA, and Northern Italy.”
1980 LOU FONG-WANG updates “Daughter, Brigette, 17 years old, is currently attending Oberlin College. Husband, Bevan is receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer again. Operating Mail Box Plus since 1992. Still playing viola.”
STANLEY NG states “Still working at CalTrans.”
1982 YVONNE NG — see 1953 news.
LANA LEE KING writes “Hello Everyone! Working at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital as a Pediatric Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, Hematology RN. Almost got all the kids out of the house! Yeah! Keep in touch. I am on Facebook.”
1983 EDWARD WILLIAM SADLER sends “I continue to live and work in San Francisco and am very thankful for the opportunity! I send my best wishes to all of my alumni brothers and sisters!” ANNE LUCAS-QUESADA tells “My daughter, Haley Quesada, is a junior at Lowell (class of 2016). My son, Matthew Quesada, graduated Class of 2013. Lowell is still as great as ever!” EMILY MURASE expresses “Heartfelt thanks to all the Lowellites and friends who helped me get re-elected to the San Francisco School Board as the top vote-getter with 80,000 votes. Could not have done it without everyone’s help!” ALISON BLOOMFIELD MEYER announces “Feb. 28, 2015 I did my first TED talk at TEDxBerkeley! The theme of the day is “wisdom. compassion. connection.” www. tedxberkeley.org.” DOUGLAS STYLES writes “Am now the Executive Director for Huckleberry Youth Programs in San Francisco and Marin. Check us out (www.huckleberryyouth.org). Great to be working closer to home!” SHINJU STOPES MORRIS updates “Living and working in Arcadia with my husband, John Morris, whom I met at UCLA while we were on the fencing team. We are at www.morrismorrislaw.com. My daughter Caitlin is a high school freshman son Alex is in 7th grade. John and I are riding in the California Coast Classic Sept 13-20, a 525 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, raising funds for the Arthritis Foundation.”
1984 ROGELIO DAWKINS shouts “It was great to see everyone at the reunion!” JENNIFER POULAKIDAS notes “Great fun to see so many classmates at our 30-year reunion in November!”
1985 MARGARET WONG FONDBERTASSE — see 1976 news.
1986 CHELSEA HERNANDEZ e-mails, “I still live in San Francisco. I am a graphic designer at BlackRock Investments.”
continued from page 6
McGowan ’84 just went to her 30th reunion and had a terrific time! Looking forward to my class of ’87 — 30th reunion not far behind! Love keeping in touch with so many alumni on Facebook. An amazing group of people. Peace and love.”
1988 TONY LLANOS contributes “I spent time during the recent holidays with fellow ‘88ers Cathy Mostasisa Wright, Richard Kim, and his twin brother, Robert Kim. It was a blast.” CAROLINE KIM KRESS and ERIC KRESS ’89 email “We will be living in San Francisco until the earthquake gets us. Next year a miracle will happen, our kids Natalie and Jacob will be going to the same school and we’ll have ONE drop off & pick up! May be in 9 years, they can walk to Lowell?” GLENN GALANG jots “I’m still living in SF with my husband Johnny and son Tristan (5 1/2) who just started Kindergarten this fall. We had fun at the last reunion and looking forward to many more!”
1989 ERIC KRESS — see 1988 news.
1991 YORAM BAUMAN messages “In 2014 my wife Laura Gee and I welcomed our first child, Zadie Barbara Bauman; I published my third cartoon book, The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change; and we traded in Edgar, our beloved 2002 Toyota Echo, for a Honda Fit named Felix. (I like to think of these milestones as a rare trifecta of animal, vegetable, and mineral.) For 2015 I’m working on a stand-up economist world tour (www.standupeconomist.com), a carbon tax ballot measure in Washington State (www. CarbonWA.org), and a lot of diaper changes. (How come you can’t do that online??)”
1995 ANDREW GREEN informs “Latest update from DC: I left Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) after nearly six years and now serve as Counsel to Commissioner Kara Stein at the Securities and Exchange Commission. But even more is that Emily and I are expecting in February. Drop us a note if you’re coming through our nation’s capital.”
1996 JAMIE O’KEEFE reports “My husband and I still live in San Francisco, on the block where I grew up in the Richmond District. I am enjoying my new job as Associate Registrar at the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio and encourage you all to come visit. I also do volunteer curatorial work for the SF Fire Dept Museum, another great place to visit. Hope everyone is doing well.”
2004 DONNIE CLAY is practicing law at Skadden Arps in Palo Alto.
2007 ANGELINA CLAY writes “I am an assistant district attorney in the Alameda County D.A.’s office and a member of the Lowell Alumni Association Board of Directors.” MARCOS CRONANDER Living, teaching and learning in Shanghai, China
1987
2010
ELIZABETH HUEY-TORNEY HUEYLEVINE shares “My sister Becca Huey
ANTHONY CLAY works as a product manager for Microsoft in Seattle.
Page 12 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
In Memoriam 1933
Fall
MELVIN E. COHN, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge, retired, passed away peacefully at home on October 30, 2014. Mel graduated from UC Berkeley and Boalt Hall Law School and opened his law practice in San Carlos in 1947, which is still in business. He served as San Carlos City Attorney for 17 years. Mel was a proud veteran of World War II and served in the Pacific theatre in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946. Governor Pat Brown appointed Mel to the San Mateo County Municipal court in 1963. He was Trial Judge of the Year and was one of the founders of the Service League. The San Mateo County Law Library bears the name Cohn-Sorenson. He retired from the bench on October 31, 1981, yet still worked as a mediator until he was in his 80s. Mel is survived by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
1935
Spring
ADRIENNE BATT BODEN passed away on February 16, 2015 at the age of 97. Born in San Francisco in 1917, she was married to the late Bernard Boden for over fifty years. She was known for her baking and love of jazz. Adrienne is survived by her son, as well as four grandsons.
1936
Spring
WILLIAM CHAN passed away December 17, 2014 at the age of 98. Survivors include his son, Leonard Chan F’67.
1937
Fall
DOUGLAS RAAKA died July 28, 2014.
1938
Spring
BARBARA “BELLE” LADDON MOORE LANGENDORF was born in Los Angeles, and raised in San Francisco. A graduate of University of the Pacific and San Francisco State University, she spent thirty-two years as a teacher and principal in the San Francisco United School District. She married her husband Charles S. Moore in 1949 and they spent fifty wonderful years together until his death in 1999. She is survived by her husband, Donald Langendorf, her children, four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. A life well lived, she will be greatly missed. MASAKO AMENIYA MACFARLANE has passed away.
1938
Fall
MACK PONG passed away after a brief illness on December 20, 2014. He worked for the US Postal Service for 37 years and Morrison & Foerster for 11 years. He was proud of his service in World War II with the 407 Air Service Squadron of the US Army 14th Air Force: the Flying Tigers. He was devoted to veteran’s affairs. Mack is survived by his four children, including Alice Tam F’68, Max Pong S’74 and Perry Pong S’79, and his grandchildren. FRANK LEAVICK November 6, 2013.
1939
passed
away
on
Spring
OLIVER BERVEN died September 5, 2014.
RUTH ANNETTE LERER GROSSMAN passed away on November 15, 2014. After a year at UC Berkeley, she married Donald Grossman, to whom she was married for fifty-five years. She is survived by her sons, her grandson and her sister.
1940
Fall
CARL RAAKA passed away on September 19, 2014. After graduating from Lowell, he served in World War II as an army second lieutenant. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in chemical engineering and worked at Shell Development and Dow Chemical. Carl is predeceased by his wife of sixty-five years, Jeanette Hamill Raaka F’41, and his brother Douglas Raaka F’37. He is survived by his children and grandchildren.
1941
Spring
LEE M. APPEL died in San Francisco at age 91. He attended UC Berkeley and served in WWII in the Army Air Corps. Lee is survived by his two children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
1941
Fall
HELEN “BAMBI” HERRING KNOX passed away on October 14, 2014 in Palm Desert, California. She was a graduate of Stanford School of Nursing, and attained a Masters Degree in Psychology from Nevada Southern University (UNLV). She is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
1942
Spring
GWENDOLYN CHAN GEE passed away peacefully at home on November 18, 2014 with her loving family at her side. She was a stalwart Giants fan. Gwendolyn is survived by her husband Richard S’42, six children, eleven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. JOHN HABERMEYER died December 18, 2013. GLORIA NICHOLS HOPPE died peacefully, her family by her side, at the age of 90. At Lowell, she met her future husband, Arthur Hoppe F’42, who wrote a satirical column for the San Francisco Chronicle for over fifty years before his death in 2000. Gloria (or Glynda, as she was referred to in the column) was the inspiration for many of her husband’s wry and irreverent writings. Gloria graduated from UC Berkeley in 1945. While her family was always her main focus, Gloria found time to obtain her real estate broker’s license, and she worked in residential real estate for many years. She travelled the world with her husband, and was an avid tennis player and reluctant golfer. She is survived by her four children, including Nick Hoppe S’72, twelve grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.
1942
1943
Fall
RICHARD CALENDER died on November 20, 2013. Following his graduation from Lowell, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He graduated from UC Berkeley. He was married to his wife Norma for 61 years and had three children. ANN GOLDSMITH SAPHIR, 88, died December 22, 2014 in Eau Claire, WI. She worked as an administrative assistant at Stanford University. Ann is survived by her three children and seven grandchildren.
1944
Spring
RONALD M. CASASSA passed away peacefully on January 11, 2015. After graduating from Lowell, Ronald served in the U.S. Army infantry during World War II. Upon his return to San Francisco, he honored his parent’s legacy by owning and operating the family business, Marin Cleaners Inc., which is still in existence over sixty years later. He is survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. VERN WILLIAMSEN, PH.D. passed away at home on July 29, 2014. After graduating from Lowell, he attended San Jose State. He taught in public schools for twenty years, and was named as San Francisco’s Teacher of the Year. He earned an MA from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, two children and two grandchildren. LOWELL “BUD” SIMON passed away in May 2014 in Santa Rosa.
1945
Spring
ROBERT “BOB” EUGENE DRYDEN passed away peacefully in Burlingame on October 9, 2014, at the age of 87. Following his graduation, Bob enlisted in the U.S Marine Corps during World War II. After the war, Bob attended City College of San Francisco and graduated from USF and USF Law School. Bob was hired by the San Francisco law firm of Barfield, Barfield and Barfield and worked as a personal injury defense trial lawyer. He rose to head the firm of Dryden, Margoles, Schimaneck, Kelly and Wertz until his retirement after a forty-eight year career in the law. During his career, Bob was a member of numerous law associations, including the American Board of Trial Advocates (Diplomat), the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers. He served as a member of the Board of Governors at USF. Bob is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Jetta; his children and grandchildren. GUNTHER PETER NAGEL died on December 7, 2009. After graduating from Lowell, Mr. Nagel attended Stanford, both as an undergraduate and as a medical student. He volunteered in South Vietnam, India and Afghanistan providing medical care to children. He practiced medicine in the Santa Barbara area. Peter is survived by his wife, four children and sixteen grandchildren.
Fall
WALTER BUSSE JR. was born and raised in San Francisco with his twin brother Robert Busse. He graduated from UC Berkeley. After graduation, he worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, where he met his wife Cornelia, whom he married in 1952. His job at the Chronicle inspired his career in advertising. Walter will be missed by many, especially his four children.
1945
Fall
JEAN ANTOINETTE HEMBERGER GRAY, age 86, passed away at her son’s home in Novato on October 7, 2014, surrounded by her devoted family and close friends. Jean attended UC Berkeley for two years. Jean is survived by her three sons and their families.
1946
Spring
DOUG HANSEN has passed away.
1947
Fall
WILLIAM MURRAY “BILL” COHEN died in February, 2015. He was a fourth generation San Franciscan, graduated from USF and served two years in the U.S. Army, then was a successful business owner for many years. He is survived by his children and grandchildren.
1948
Spring
DONALD C. STIBICH passed away on January 1, 2015, one day shy of his 84th birthday, in Greenbrae, California. After graduating with an A.B. from Stanford, Don served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War before returning to Stanford, where he earned his M.B.A. in 1958. He then began a 42-year career with Longview Fibre Company, eventually retiring as Senior Vice President and board member. Don was active with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Hospice of Marin and taught English as a Second Language with the Canal Alliance. Don was also a regular attendee of the annual holiday luncheons at the Olympic Club with his Lowell friends and took great pride in his affiliation with Lowell. Don was predeceased in 2000 by his loving wife Ketty Downie Stibich S’48 and is survived by four children, 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. NADINE EHRENBERG MONETTA passed away on March 8, 2015, surrounded by her family. She was the first in her family to attend college and graduated from UC Berkeley. She was married to her husband, Bernard, for sixty-one years. Her passion was her family. Nadine is survived by her two sons, David Monetta S’72, Robert Monetta ’75, her daughters-in-law, her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, including Chuck Everett S’65.
1948
Fall
CORNELIA “CONNIE” RHOADS FRENCH, age 83, passed away at home on November 8, 2014, after a lengthy illness. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley, where she was a member of the Rally Committee. She was a docent at Filoli and loved to travel. Connie is survived by her loving husband of sixty-one years, Capt. Robert C. French, SC USN Ret., by her daughter and grandsons.
1949
Spring
JOSEPH N. PICETTI passed away peacefully on November 11, 2014 at the age of 83, with his family by his side. After graduation, he proudly served two years in the US Army in Munich, Germany. He enjoyed a successful career in the insurance industry for fortyfive years. Joe is survived by his wife of sixty years, Barbara, his sister, his children and grandchildren. LUCRETIA LEE SCOTT died on December 13, 2014 in New York City. She was one of the first female television sports producers, working mostly in Europe and the former Soviet Union during the 1960s. As the only female in this male-dominated profession, she recalled having no place to change clothes before a sports event and being offered a broom closet as her dressing room (which she took, having no other option). Family members recall her saying, “New guys assigned to work for me didn’t think I knew what I was
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 13 doing. I quickly proved them wrong.” Her extensive travel for work led to a lifelong passion for globetrotting.
1958
Spring
BARBARA SCOTT SCAFIDI passed away on October 23, 2014. She attended City College of San Francisco, where she met and married her husband Joseph. Barbara retired from Del Monte Corporation after thirty-five years of service. She was an active member of the San Francisco Auxiliary for Children and the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Barbara is survived by her husband of sixty-one years, her sisters and sisterin-law and many nieces and nephews.
MARY JEAN WADE CRAWFORD passed away at the age of 74. She had a long and distinguished career as a civilian worker for the US Navy and Air Force. Mary began her career as a computer technician and retired as a Computer Center Supervisor for the Air Force. While at Lowell, Mary was an active participant in the Forensics Society and successfully represented Lowell in many tournaments, both in the Bay Area and state wide. She was the heart and soul of the Forensics program and served as its President during her senior year. Mary was an avid reader, art enthusiast and loved solving crossword puzzles. She had a large family of whom she was very proud, particularly her beloved grandchildren, and many dear friends. The Mary Wade Crawford Memorial Scholarship has been established in her memory with the Lowell Alumni Association, to be given annually to an outstanding, college-bound student. Contributions to the scholarship should be made payable to the Lowell Alumni Association and sent to: Lowell Alumni Association/ Mary Wade Crawford Memorial Scholarship, PO Box 320009, San Francisco, CA, 94132. Please be sure to enclose a note explaining that the gift is designated for the Mary Wade Crawford Memorial Scholarship.
1951
1962
1950
Fall
HARRISON LEW “HARRY” ANIXTER, native son of San Francisco, passed away on November 30, 2014, after a brief illness. Harrison was a graduate of UC Berkeley, and served in the United States Navy. Harrison and Rochelle, his wife of 57 years, loved to travel, and eventually visited sixty-four countries and islands. He is survived by his wife, his sons and grandchildren.
1951
Spring
Fall
FRANK “PEPPY” PRESTON NIBLEY, JR. died at the age of 80 at his home in Tucson, Arizona on October 26, 2014 after a series of long complications due to cancer. Frank was in the Naval Reserve, followed by active service from 1954 to 1957, serving our country proudly before he was honorably discharged due to medical reasons. After moving to Hawaii, Frank’s love for dance and music led him to a career as a dance instructor with Arthur Murray, including participation in many ballroom dance exhibitions for six years before starting a successful 40-year career at First Hawaiian Bank, ending with his retirement in 1996 as Vice President. Frank’s post-retirement years were spent in Arizona where he enjoyed golfing, fishing and tutoring children through the Experience Corps program. Frank is survived by his wife of 35 years, Diane Braag Nibley F’51, four children and 9 grandchildren.
1953
Spring
Fall
DR. JOHN O. DEBENHAM passed away December 1, 2014 after a brief illness. He attended Stanford University, graduated from UCSF Medical School and joined Berkeley Orthopedic Medical Practice in 1968. He was on the staff at Alta Bates Hospital and Children’s Hospital Oakland. John also was a Captain in the Army Reserve for 7 years. He loved taking care of his patients during his forty-six years in practice. He is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, his brother Reverend Warren Debenham F’50, his children, grandson, and many nieces and nephews.
1956
ILENE ADDISON died in Sonoma, California surrounded by her loving family. After graduating from Lowell, Ilene attended San Francisco State College and graduated first in her class at San Francisco Law School. She is survived by her partner, sisters, son and many nieces and nephews. Ilene spent many years serving her community in several nonprofit organizations.
1964
Fall
DAVID CLAYTON MEH passed away September 20, 2013. He played quarterback for Lowell’s football team. David is survived by two children and four grandchildren.
1965
Spring
DAVID MILANESI died March 17, 2014.
degree at the University of San Francisco and Masters of Tax Law at Golden Gate Law School. He is most known and loved for his charitable work. Brad is survived by his wife of thirty-nine years, Marcia S’68, his sons, his sister, Linda Gollober F’63 and his mother, Joyce Skopp Gollober S’42.
1968 DAISY WONG-DENMAN September 2013.
1970
Fall died
in
Spring
GARY HUYGEN died May 5, 2014.
DON SCHALLER. While at Lowell he was class president and a member of the football team.
1955
Spring
Merla Zellerbach, Class Of 1948 Merla Burstein Zellerbach died in December 2014 of pancreatic cancer. Ms. Zellerbach, a noted civic leader, journalist and philanthropist, was 84. Ms. Zellerbach was born on August 27, 1930. She graduated from Lowell in 1948, where she was vice-president of the student body. She attended Stanford University, and, at age 19, married Stephen Zellerbach. Ms. Zellerbach’s philanthropy was legendary. Among the many organizations with which she was involved are the Little Jim Club of Children’s Hospital, the American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, the Red Cross, and others too numerous to list. In 2014, she was honored by the Junior League for her major impact on philanthropy and volunteerism in the Bay Area. She served on the boards of many civic organizations, including the San Francisco Arts Institute, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Merla was a panelist on the TV game show “Oh, My Word”. She was a contributor to many publications, including Town and Country, Cosmopolitan and Prevention magazines, as well as the author of nineteen published books, both fiction and nonfiction. In addition, she was a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle for 24 years, as well as the editor of the Nob Hill Gazette from 1995-2007, during which she also wrote the “Let’s Dish” column. Merla was proud to be a Lowell alumna. She graciously served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the galas celebrating the 100th anniversary of the name “Lowell High School” in 1995 and the Lowell newspaper in 1999. Impacted by the deaths of her father and second husband, Merla was active in Compassion and Choices, a non-profit organization which helps terminally ill people avoid suffering. During the last months of her life, she agreed to be interviewed by a former newspaper colleague to document her courageous end-of-life choices, the inspiring story of which appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. She is survived by her husband, Lee Munson, her brother and sister-in-law, her son, Gary Zellerbach, daughter-in-law Linda Zellerbach, two grandchildren and three stepchildren.
Spring
TAHITIA “TIA” KEOUALANI HEARN RODMAN KREMER, 74, passed away on January 24, 2015, in Olympia, WA. She was actively involved in church communities, outreach, and ministry. Tahitia is survived by children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild, and will be deeply missed by family and friends.
1965
Fall
NANCY LUSCIA RODDICK passed away on August 5, 2014 after battling Alzheimer’s and its many cascading difficulties. A native San Franciscan, Nancy was involved in various activities at Lowell, where she was elected homecoming queen and voted most beautiful by the graduating class. She is survived by her loving husband Robert T. Roddick S’62 and her three children: Daniel ’94, Julianne ’92 and Jennifer. Her post-Lowell activities centered around children, including service as a Girl Scout Troop leader for a number of years when she organized summer camps and garnered meetings for her girl scouts with Dianne Feinstein, Queen Elizabeth and Ronald Reagan. Subsequently, she served as the founding Director of the Saint Philip School Day Care Center for its first five years. Simultaneously, she and her husband cofounded Noe Valley Law Offices, where she served as Office Administrator and Paralegal for over 30 years. [Editor’s Note: We apologize for the incomplete information about Nancy’s life that was published in our last issue.]
1967
Spring
BRAD GOLLOBER passed away on Oct. 13, 2014 at the age of 64 after a brief illness. He attended UC Davis, and earned his law
1971
Spring
JOHN INASE died September 23, 2014.
1984 SUZANNE ANGELINA MALIK passed away unexpectedly on March 29, 2015 at home in Burlingame. A native San Franciscan, she attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo where she earned her Bachelor of Architecture in 1989 and met John Schmid, also an architect, who became her husband in 1992. After 5 years doing custom homes with Dahlin Group, she went on to a career in commercial architecture working for The Gap, Williams-Sonoma and finally The Men’s Wearhouse, where she was the Senior Vice President of Store Development. Her joy was directing the construction of flagship stores. She was responsible for the landmark Banana Republic store in San Francisco (a site known to old-time San Franciscans as the one-time home of the White House department store) and most recently the flagship Joseph Abboud location in New York City. But her passion was her immediate and extended family, especially her children, Julia and Sabrina, ages 17 and 14 respectively, who were a great source of pride for her. In addition to her husband and children, Suzanne is survived by her brother Fady ’82, sister Nancy
’89 and parents Ibrahim and Suhad. Her family and friends loved her spunk, smile and sharp wit and will miss her deeply.
Faculty MICHAEL DESCILO passed away peacefully on September 19th 2014 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City, surrounded by his loving family and friends. He was 77. Mr. Descilo, a native San Franciscan, grew up in the Noe Valley district. He attended St. Ignatius High School and went on to UC Berkeley where he majored in Italian and minored in Math for both his undergraduate and his graduate degrees. Mike studied German at the Goethe Institute for 35 years and became fluent in speaking High German. As a Fulbright exchange teacher, he lived in Hannover, Germany for a year where he taught English and French. Mike made many life-long friends and traveled back to Germany for over 30 years. From 1962 through 1997 he taught Math at Lowell High School including all of those courses offered and filled in as needed in Computer Science, Italian and German. Mike’s passions were listening to classical music and going to the opera and the symphony with James Gazaway (Lowell teacher/ Counselor 1959-89). After retirement, he played duplicate bridge twice a week at the Sunset Bridge Club on Brotherhood Way and became a Life Master. One of his regular partners was Peter Dahl (’53 and Science teacher 1958-91). Mike was also a wine connoisseur. He kept a large wine cellar of the very best European and American wines. When invited for dinner, he would always bring at least one bottle of an appropriate wine for what was being served. Last year, Mike moved to a retirement home on the Peninsula, closer to his family. He is survived by his sister Barbara Fregoso, brother Ray, niece Laura Rubinchik and nephew Tony Fregoso and their 3 children. Mike’s family is planning a “Celebration of Life” event to take place in August. The LAA website will give details when they are available.
Page 14 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
Editorials from The Lowell Why Lowell Needs A College Counselor College counselors are becoming so popular that in 2013, 26 percent of all college applicants — three times as many as in 2003, hired a private admissions consultant or an independent educational consultant to assist with their college applications, according to a Stanford University professor. The average package, from consultation junior year to application senior year, can be over $4,000. Obviously not everyone can afford a private college counselor, especially at public schools like Lowell where 43 percent of students are low-income. To make the college application process fair for all students, some SFUSD high schools, including Abraham Lincoln High School and George Washington High School, provide college counselors for their students. These college counselors help students with college-related issues only, while regular school counselors are responsible for schedules, graduation, truancy concerns and emotional welfare. At Lowell, neither school counselors nor the Volunteers in College and Career Information (VICCI) center can perform the full duties of a professional college counselor. Lowell needs its own college counselor. Lowell’s regular counselors act as both academic and college counselors, making it hard for them to perfect either role because of an overwhelming workload. “Right now counselors deal with grades, stress, meetings and emotional needs, but then we have to turn that off and search up college information,” Lowell counselor Adrienne Smith said. “Getting a college counselor would make current counselors’ work easier and would let counselors get to know their kids better.” Having a college counselor in the VICCI Center would expand the services that Lowell already offers. “College counselors attend conferences and are up-to-date on the changes in the college preparatory process,” Lowell counselor Josephine Ho said. “They will be able to help the VICCI Center fulfill its potential to be a great college center by working with parent volunteers and providing them with direction.” VICCI Center volunteers agree with this sentiment because they lack the comprehensive knowledge of a professional college counselor. “Parent volunteers know some of the information students ask for but being a college counselor is not their job and there’s no way to account for how much each volunteer knows,” said VICCI Center parent volunteer Michael Wong. A college counselor who works full-time at Lowell would also provide continuity and consistent support for students. VICCI Center volunteers only work on specific weekdays, making it difficult for students to follow up. Though the volunteers contact each other when a student has a pressing issue, having one person who can track a student’s progress would be more beneficial. The same issue is faced by the VICCI Center’s Plan of Action for Challenging Times (PACT) educational advisor, Simone Andrade, who is only at Lowell two days a week. She is also required to prioritize students who are in or eligible for PACT, which primarily serves low-income students who would be the first in their family to attend college, especially during the busy fall season. If Lowell hires a college counselor, he or she will be able to focus on seniors applying in the fall. Lincoln senior Rose Lu appreciated the time and help her school college counselor gave her. “I definitely would have struggled more if I didn’t have a college counselor as a go-to person for advice while filling out my college application, since it’s so lengthy and difficult,” she said. They can also guide underclassmen in their college search. To reach all his students, Washington’s college counselor Chatree Touch works with freshmen using classroom presentations, emails, his webpage, evening events and one-on-one advising. “I inform all students and their parents about their post-secondary options, along with the requirements and tips on how to be competitive,” he said. There are many benefits to hiring a college counselor at Lowell and even few financial barriers, as long as “the timing is right,” Lowell’s PTSA president Missy Mastel said. Lowell does its hiring and replacement decisions and budgeting for the next school year in April. “If the PTSA decides to fund it, and the school does not have it in their budget, then we would cover it in our budget,” Mastel said. Hopefully the school and PTSA will see that a college counselor would be an invaluable resource for all students. — The Lowell, April 9, 2015
Yearbooks For Sale $50 Each We have yearbooks from the following years available for purchase: • 1978
• 1998
• 2002
• 2007
• 1981
• 1999
• 2003
• 2008
• 1989
• 2000
• 2004
• 2009
• 1993
• 2001
• 2005
• 2010
There are a limited number of other years available. Please contact us at lowellaa@lowellalumni.org or (415) 759-7830 for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Against The School District’s New Math Plan The San Francisco Unified School District has proposed to create a one-size-fits-all math course sequence to align with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. SFUSD aims to improve student achievement with classes of mixed skill-levels from middle school to high school, forcing all 9th graders to take CCSS Algebra 1. Though the plan strives to bring lower-achieving students up to a higher standard, it holds back mid-and higher achieving students. When the Lowell School Site Council found out about the proposed implementation, student representatives created petitions for students and alumni to request a waiver for Lowell from the plan. The PTSA also created a petition. Lowell math and science teachers along with students then spoke at the Board of Education meeting on Feb. 10 to protest the plan, and presented these petitions. Though the campaign has been successful and the district has decided to postpone the proposed implementation district-wide for a year, its future application will only serve to hurt the district in the long run. Students should be able to aim for academic success at a level where they feel appropriately challenged, and this is assisted by ability level separation. Those supporting CCSS-M argue that the Common Core math classes cannot be compared with the current curriculum, as the CCSS-M stresses concept learning over drilling skills. Using a single core sequence aims to stop students from taking accelerated courses they aren’t able to handle. But the solution is improving the accuracy of placement, rather than making all classes mixed skill-level. Not only will students be unable to have a math course tailored to their needs and interests, but entry into upper-level math and science courses will be limited. Many Advanced Placement courses such as AP Statistics, AP Physics, and AP Chemistry have math prerequisites that will limit them to seniors only under the new math program. The solution to entering upper-level math classes is not solid either. Under the new program, students will take a compressed CCSS Algebra 2 and Precalculus course to prepare for AP Calculus and AP Statistics. Lowell calculus teacher Laurence Warshaw argued at the Board of Education meeting that the compression of Algebra 2 and Precalculus does not give sufficient time for students to work with and fully understand either subject. Implementing the CCSS-M in this manner will weigh even more heavily on parents’ decisions to send their child to a district or private high school. “As a parent, I’m glad that my daughter is halfway through high school, and I didn’t have to make that choice, because my daughter wants to be a scientist,” Lowell biology teacher Mark Wenning said. “And if this plan is implemented in the school district I teach in, her needs would not be served.” There is also an equity issue between private school and SFUSD students. In the original plan that was postponed, only students transferring into the district and private school students would be able to take a placement exam and place out of CCSS Algebra 1, the required freshman course. As only 30 percent of Lowell students are from private school, SFUSD would be discriminating against its own students. With mixed level classes, student grades would only polarize, forming a parabolic shape rather than a typical bell curve. Karl Hoffman, Lowell AP Calculus and Geometry Honors teacher has seen this happen before when he was at Thurgood Marshall and everybody started with Algebra 1. “We referred to what happened as a bimodal distribution – we had a whole bunch of A’s and F’s, and not a lot of stuff in between,” Hoffman said at the Board of Education meeting. “I really want to encourage us not to make this mistake again.” Students in classes grouped by ability are able to challenge themselves and pursue interests relevant to them. This should not be lost, even with the CCSS-M being implemented. The district should create an alternative core sequence, as the proposed sequence is too limiting to many students. — The Lowell, March 3, 2015
Cyberbullying Has No Place In Today’s Society “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is a common rule of thumb, but in truth, nobody enjoys the sting of hateful comments. In this new media age, snarky school-yard comments have morphed into cyberbullying, taking harassment of all types to a whole new level. However, San Francisco Unified School District’s punishments have not morphed to combat or prevent this new type of bullying. SFUSD needs to make their consequences for cyberbullying heavier, as current rules do not mandate either suspension or expulsion. In the world of social media, mean posts or gestures can suddenly pop up on a computer screen from an anonymous source, broadcast to the entire world. At least one in three adolescents has experienced instances of cyberbullying according to studies by the i-SAFE Foundation. Despite these frequent numbers, less than half the victims tell their parents, and fewer than one in five cyberbullying incidents have actually been reported to law enforcement, according to a blog about bullying statistics (www.bullyingstatistics.org). The state of California has strict laws against cyberbullying, so why are SFUSD’s rules not harsh as well? Humiliating comments and posts can seriously damage a student’s confidence, and in some cases could lead to self-harm or even suicide. Although these issues seem far away from us, Lowell is not removed from the problem. For example, Lowell Squallies — an anonymous profile on Instagram — posted pictures of Lowell students with hurtful comments and derogatory names. This profile has since been shut down, but not before many people were hurt by the moderator’s posts. The current rules against cyberbullying in our school and in SFUSD are not enough. Although the district’s student handbook states cyberbullying is a “serious offense,” it is not listed as an offense eligible for serious consequences like mandatory expulsion or suspension. If it were, this would probably make students think twice about humiliating peers and would therefore prevent future bullying. Since such seemingly small problems, like hateful texts or Facebook posts could lead to a student’s death, we must not take cyberbullying lightly. Heavier consequences would deter students from cyberbullying others. The best way to solve social problems is to prevent them. — The Lowell, April 29, 2014
Spring 2015 u Lowell Alumni Association u Page 15
Coach Jeri Jank To Be Honored By SF Prep Hall Of Fame In recognition of her 34 years of unparalleled success as Lowell’s gymnastics coach, Jeri Jank will be among the 2015 class of inductees to the SF Prep Hall of Fame at their dinner on Saturday, May 16 at the Spanish Cultural Center in San Francisco. Tickets are going fast, so please contact the Lowell Alumni Association promptly (lowellaa@lowellalumni.org or 415.759.7830) to purchase your ticket.
Cardinals Continue To Rule The AAA Sports Roost Over the past several months, Lowell student athletes have excelled in virtually every category of sports competition within the city’s Academic Athletic Association, nailing down team championships in volleyball, golf, tennis, basketball, soccer and cross-country. Most impressive are our long-standing winning streaks in cross-country (36 consecutive annual overall team titles) and girls tennis (17 consecutive team titles). Lowell’s wrestling team, having won the 2014 AAA All-City tournament (our first title since 1996), made a strong showing this year but was narrowly edged out on points to finish third this year. However, four Lowell wrestlers are 2015 weight class All-City champs: Chris O’Neill at 106 pounds; Marco Kwan at 113 pounds; Asa Jungreis at 126 pounds; and Cristian Sanchez at 195 pounds. As of this writing, Lowell teams are atop the AAA standings in badminton, baseball, fencing, boys golf, girls soccer, softball, swimming and boys tennis, so the school year is likely to end with another avalanche of league championship titles. The most notable breaking news comes from Lowell’s track team, where our girls distance medley relay team (running legs of 1200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters and 1600 meters for a total of 4000 meters, equal to about 2-1/2 miles) of Sierra Brill, Victoria Lee, Sydney Gutierrez and Kristen Leung recently set a school and SF Section record time of 11:55.71, which also ranks as the third-best time in the nation this season. This amazing team took 2nd place at this year’s Stanford Invitational and 3rd place at the Arcadia Invitational, widely regarded as the nation’s largest and most competitive high school Girls medley relay team with Coach track meet. And Kristen Leung has become only Leong. the second female runner in the SF Section to turn in a sub-5 minute time for the 1600 meters, finishing at 4:58.46. Congrats to the entire team and coach Andy Leong ’80! And to help celebrate these achievements, the Lowell Alumni Association recently funded the purchase of 24 perpetual team championship banners that now adorn the Ben Neff Gymnasium. Congratulations to all the Lowell athletes and coaches for their hard work and dedication to this important aspect of the Lowell experience for so many of today’s students!
You can find complete schedules and standings for all Lowell sports teams at www.cifsf.org or www.lowellathletics.com.
SPORT
FINAL STANDING
NOTES
Girls Varsity Basketball
AAA champions
Undefeated season; 5th consecutive AAA title
Boys Varsity Basketball
Lost in AAA semifinals
Girls JV Basketball
2nd place
Boys Frosh/Soph Basketball
Lost in AAA semifinals
Softball
AAA and TransBay champions
Undefeated season; 4th consecutive AAA title
Varsity Baseball
AAA and TransBay champions
2nd consecutive AAA title
Frosh/Soph Baseball
AAA champions
Undefeated season; 3rd consecutive AAA title
Girls Soccer
AAA champions
Undefeated season; 17th consecutive AAA title
Girls Varsity Swimming
AAA champions
25th consecutive AAA title
Boys Varsity Swimming
AAA champions
18th consecutive title
Girls JV Swimming
AAA champions
8th consecutive title
Boys JV Swimming
AAA champions
2nd consecutive title
Wrestling
AAA champions
Undefeated season
Boys Golf
AAA team champions
5th consecutive team title
Boys Volleyball
AAA champions
Undefeated season; 3rd consecutive AAA title
Fencing
AAA overall and Girls Varsity champions
6th consecutive overall AAA title; 3rd consecutive Girls Varsity AAA title
Boys Tennis
AAA team champions; singles champion (David Mai); doubles champions (Nick Haddad & James Uejio)
6th consecutive AAA team title
Track & Field
AAA overall champions
27th consecutive AAA team title
Girls Varsity Track & Field
AAA champions
3rd consecutive AAA title
Boys Varsity Track & Field
2nd place
Girls Frosh/Soph Track & Field
2nd place
Boys Frosh/Soph Track & Field
2nd place
Spirit Squad
AAA champions in Show/Cheer with Stunt
Page 16 u Lowell Alumni Association u Spring 2015
“West Side Story” A Smash Hit Over a four-day run in March, an incredibly talented group of Lowell actors, actresses, singers, dancers and tech crew entertained more than 2,700 attendees, including a sell-out Friday night audience in the Carol Channing Theater.
BY KELLEY GRADE (COURTESY OF THE LOWELL)
BY KARINA HUFT (COURTESY OF THE LOWELL)
BY AIDA IRVING (COURTESY OF THE LOWELL)
Carol Channing Wows Her Adoring Lowell Audience She is arguably the most well-recognized Lowell graduate of all time (with apologies to, among others, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and the late Governor Pat Brown) but there can be no disputing the fact that Carol Channing is the most uniquely talented and entertaining alumnus of all time, as she proved once again when she made time in her busy schedule to visit Lowell last November. Taking a break from rehearsals for her
San Francisco appearance with Tommy Tune at the Curran Theater, Ms. Channing was welcomed to Lowell by a chorus singing “Hello Carol” to the tune of “Hello Dolly.” The 93-year old star of the Broadway stage seemed to soak up every bit of the love and appreciation sent her way by the packed crowd in, appropriately enough, the Carol Channing Theater. Although Ms. Channing had some difficulty with the theater’s acoustics, she heard loud and clear
Alumnus Andrew Williams III ’79 with Carol Channing.
the shouted “We love you, Carol” from one student and promptly replied, “I love you, too!” Channing shared anecdotes about her high school and professional experiences and impressed everyone with her moving a capella performance of “Before the Parade Passes By” from “Hello Dolly”, with lyrics
that must mean so much more to her now than when she first sang them on Broadway in 1964. And then, as if she hadn’t already done enough for Lowell through her regular campus visits and other support for Lowell, Ms. Channing presented a personal donation of $10,000 to support Lowell’s theater program.
Following her appearance at Lowell, Ms. Channing remained on stage for nearly an hour to meet and greet students, faculty, alumni and others.