Soroptimists award grants to two area nonprofit groups

Special to The Enterprise

Soroptimist International of Davis recently awarded grants to two nonprofits, to improve the lives of women and girls in Yolo County.

The club distributed $3,000 in Community Grants between the two organizations. Make it Happen for Yolo County received $1,900, and Grace in Action received $1,100.

Make it Happen will use its Soroptimist funds to provide at least four young women in the UC Davis Guardian Scholars program with the furniture and appliances they need to furnish their apartments at the start of the school year. Guardian Scholars are students who have experienced foster care.

Grace in Action will use its Soroptimist grant money to provide stop-gap services for very low income individuals, and those without safe shelter. It will pay for motel rooms, hearty lunches, laundry vouchers, transportation passes and haircuts.

Jan Judson, board president for Make It Happen for Yolo County, said they are grateful to Soroptimist International of

Obituaries

Davis for the grant.

“The National Women’s Law Center says women are at higher risk of being evicted than men, and we know that young renters with no resources to properly care for their apartments are much more likely to be evicted,” Judson said. “We also know that students with healthy living environments are more likely to continue their education. By providing these young women with tools to care for their home, we are setting them up to be safe, successful first-time renters who can succeed in school and career.”

Lorell Hardaker, board vice president for Grace in Action, echoed that sentiment. “Grace in Action is so grateful for our Community Grant, which will bring relief to our guests when they receive their laundry voucher or a bus pass for transportation to an appointment. The grant will spread joy to guests receiving a haircut or a motel room.”

SI Davis has several fundraisers a year, and reinvests all of its profits in its programs and projects. These include Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women; and Dream It, Be It:

Career Support for High School

Girls. It also funds high school scholarships, anti-trafficking efforts, and these Community Grants to like-minded nonprofits. Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. The service club was founded in Oakland in October 1921.

Far left, UC Davis Guardian Scholar Evelyn Aguilar received lots of housewares in 2021 from Make It Happen in Yolo County. At left, a hairdresser cuts the hair of a guest of Grace In Action. COurtesy phOtOs

Soroptimist International of Davis was chartered in 1954. A second Davis club, SI Greater Davis, chartered in 1985. Local members join some 75,000 Soroptimists in 122 countries and territories to contribute time and financial support to communitybased projects benefiting women and girls. For more information on the club, visit https://sidavis. org or like its Facebook or Instagram pages: @SoroptimistDavis.

July 8, 1932 — May 9, 2023

Stephen Whitaker, born July 8, 1932, passed away on May 9, 2023, at 90 years old. Steve was born in a small local hospital in Carmel to Francis and Elaine Whitaker.

By all accounts it was idyllic, despite the hardships of the Great Depression and he made a cluster of friends there that would stand him in good stead for most of his life. He was a record-holder in the pole vault and played football and basketball at Carmel High School and went on to graduate with honors from UC Berkeley with a degree in chemical engineering.

He completed his graduate work at the University of Delaware and, after a stint working for the DuPont Chemical Company, secured a teaching position at Northwestern University. He came to UC Davis in 1964, where he worked for the bulk of his long and productive career, teaching generations of students and doing research specializing in fluid mechanics and heat transfer.

He is the author of four textbooks, the most recent of which is “Material Balances for Chemical Reacting Systems,” with co-authors R.L. Cerro and B.G. Higgins. Among his many honors are an AICHE Award for education and an Honoris Causa from the University of Salamanca in Spain, as well as the Jeff and Dianne ChildSteve Whitaker Professorship in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, an endowment established at UC Davis in 2019.

Steve’s skills in the field were often in demand and his career took him and his wife Su to beautiful and interesting places such as France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Australia, Taiwan, Venezuela and Argentina. Steve loved camping, mountain climbing and backpacking, and was especially fond of spending time with his family in Yosemite. He was also an avid volleyball player, gardener and world traveler.

He is survived by the love of his life of 50 years, Suzanne Whitaker. He will be remembered with great love by Ken Yager and partner Julia, Max and Anita Yager; James Whitaker, Lynn and Brian Hurd, and Susan Whitaker and partner Kirby. His memory will also be cherished by grandchildren Anji, Braden,

Hayley, Guy, Ruby, Tenaya, Lisa, Erik, Matthew, Sarah, Niko, Angela, Rick and Sean, and great-grandchildren Peter, Liam and Elowyn. His close-knit extended family will remember him for his flawless depiction of Ghandi at charades during family game night in 1992, his exhortation in the face of complainers, which was “Bite the bullet,” and his favorite joke: “Why is a mosquito not like a mountain climber? Answer — Because one is a vector and the other is a scaler.”

WHITAKER

Herman Joseph Fink, a renowned professor of engineering at UC Davis, passed away at his home on Oct. 13, 2022. He was born Aug. 16, 1930, in Neutitschein, Czechoslovakia, the second of four children. Following World War II, the family was forced to leave home, making their way eventually to Esslingen, Germany. In 1952, Herman moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he met his wife, Jane Derry, and attended the University of British Columbia. He went on to complete his postdoc at Oxford University, and came to New Jersey in 1961 to work at Bell Labs, followed by Atomics International in Los Angeles.

By 1969 he had become a scientific leader in the field of superconductivity, and he, Jane and his three sons moved to Davis, so he could teach in the department of electrical and computer engineering at UCD, fulfilling a dream of becoming a teacher. He became a highly recognized researcher and educator with more than 100 published works.

In 1993, Herman married Morgan Wright, and after retiring in 1994, they were able to enjoy many years of travel and adventure. Herman loved working with all his students, classical music, downhill skiing, hiking, scuba diving, and traveling the world.

He is preceded in death by his son, Andy, and survived by his wife, Morgan; sons Peter and Stephen Roberts; granddaughters Rachael, Emma, Keira and Leah Roberts; ex-wife Jane; and stepsons Matt and Gavin Wright.

A celebration of his life will be held at Stonegate Country Club at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 27. Donations can be made to the Sierra Club or PBS.

He was preceded in death by his son, Michael Laurence Whitaker. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Steve’s honor to the Mono Lake Committee, The Sierra Club of California or the Yosemite Conservancy. A celebration of life will be held for Steve in Monterey at a time to be determined later.