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Spring 2008

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University of San Diego

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F S A N D I E G O / S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

USD MAGAZINET

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A R O U N D T H E PA R K

4 / Peace Train Sounding Louder

Actor Martin Sheen joined Dean William

Headley and Catholic Relief Services’

Ken Hackett at the inauguration of the

Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies.

6 / Tangled Up in Blue

Icebergs aren’t just passive hunks of ice. According to

associate professor Ron Kaufmann, they actually change

the chemistry of the objects around them.

8 / Up in Smoke

A family bands together to overcome their losses in the

aftermath of the devastation wreaked by the Witch Creek Fire.

TO R E R O AT H L E T I C S

10 / Under Construction

Men’s basketball coach Bill Grier wants to promote USD’s

own brand of March Madness, making the university’s role

in the public eye more prominent. Also: Senior Amanda

Rego intends to be remembered as the person who led the

women’s basketball team to a WCC championship.

ON THE COVER:

Photo of first year

M.F.A. Theatre Arts student

Anthony von Halle

by Tim Mantoani.

D E P A R T M E N T S

4

1 2 / A F L A I R F O R T H E D R A M AT I C

From sitcoms to Broadway, 20 years of collaboration between

USD’s M.F.A. program and the Old Globe has made for some

mighty impressive résumés. And why not? The intensive

two-year program is quite possibly the most acclaimed

classical training program in the country. Meet this year’s

crop of young actors as they unleash their wide range of talent.

P O I N T O F V I E W

24 / The Witch Creek

Sisterhood

What do you call a caravan

of evacuees made up of

seven cars filled with moms,

dads, teens, dogs and cats?

In a word: Community.

12

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S A N D I E G O / S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

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. USD MAGAZINE O N T H E C O V E R

D O N O T S E E K . F I N D .

C L A S S N OT E S

30 / Politics, As Usual

Overseeing the day-to-day operations

of presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s

campaign is a perfect fit for Betsy Myers.

34 / Sweet Spot in the President’s Office

Documenting the comings and goings of four U.S. Presidents

was all in a day’s work for alumna Marilyn (Qualiato) Jacanin.

38 / Underneath it All

The intersection of medical illustration and pop culture

gives birth to Vanessa Ruiz’s unique Web log.

42 / A Life Lived in Service

Fallen Navy Reserve Officer Laura Mankey’s legacy is an

endowed scholarship fund that will benefit NROTC students.

30

C L A S S N O T E S

A LU M N I U P DAT E

26 / Never a Dull Moment

Decades after graduation,

John Bowman’s bond with

the College for Men remains

as strong as it was in his early

days on campus.

C A M PA I G N CO R N E R

28 / Meet Madame Chair

When Darlene Marcos Shiley

took the helm of USD’s Board

of Trustees, one thing was

clear: This is a woman who

says what she means and

means what she says.

A R T I S A R E V E L A T I O N O F M A N .

2 2 / G A R D E N I S A V E R B

It’s no accident that the

campus of the University of

San Diego is beautiful. In

fact, making the grounds a

wonder to behold was a

priority for the founders.

From the coral tree blos-

soms that greet visitors

at the West Entrance to the

stark outlines of cypress to the fluttering stands of purple fountain grass, USD’s flora has

something to offer the observant, no matter the season. And when your eyes are wide open

and you’re paying particular attention, there’s no telling just what will be revealed.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 1

T H E S T O R Y A L W A Y S O L D A N D A L W A Y S N E W .CO N T E N T S

28

N A T U R E I S A R E V E L A T I O N O F G O D .

22

T H E M O R E W E S E E , T H E L E S S W E K N O W F O R S U R E .

[ e d i t o r ]Julene Snyderjulene@sandiego.edu

[ c l a s s n o t e s e d i t o r ]Kelly Knufkenkellyk@sandiego.edu

[ s t a f f w r i t e r ]Ryan T. Blystonerblystone@sandiego.edu

[ a r t d i r e c t o r ]Barbara Fergusonbarbaraf@sandiego.edu

[ p r o o f r e a d i n g ]Fawnee Evnochides

[ p h o t o g r a p h e r s ]Eric DrotterBarbara FergusonLuis GarciaTim MantoaniMarshall Williams

[ i l l u s t r a t o r s ]Barbara Ferguson

[ w e b d e s i g n ]Michael Jamesmichaeljames@sandiego.edu

[ w e b s i t e ]www.sandiego.edu/usdmag

[ p r e s i d e n t ]Mary E. Lyons, Ph.D.

[ v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f u n i v e r s i t y r e l a t i o n s ]Timothy L. O’Malley, Ph.D.

[ a s s i s t a n t v i c e p r e s i d e n to f p u b l i c a f f a i r s ]Pamela Gray Payton

[ u s d m a g a z i n e ]is published by the University of San Diego for its alumni, parents and friends. Editorial offices: USDMagazine, University Communications,University of San Diego, 5998 AlcaláPark, San Diego, CA 92110. Third-classpostage paid at San Diego CA 92110.USD phone number (619) 260-4600.

Postmaster: Send address changes to USD Magazine, University Communi-cations, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110.

By virtue of its paper and ink choices,USD Magazine has received theendorsement of the Forest StewardshipCouncil, which supports environmentallyappropriate, socially beneficial andeconomically viable management ofthe world’s forests.

[ 0 2 0 8 / 5 2 0 0 0 ]

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S A N D I E G O

USD MAGAZINE

ven though it was right there in black and white, I couldn’t quite wrap my mind

around it. I’d been ready for disappointment, had, in fact, already practiced the

consoling words I’d use to comfort my daughter. But this? Not just a role, but the role?

“The cast list is up.” I tried to keep my voice casual, the smile off my lips, the mild sense of

panic from registering in my eyes. My daughter raced to the family computer. I had just a

moment to shrug an answer to my husband’s silent question before pre-teen shrieks erupted.

We were in for it now. Sink or swim, there was an entire production resting on the director’s

decision to cast our daughter in a major role. Question was, could she handle it? While she’d been cast in plays before,

this part was different. Sure, she’d played a neighborhood kid, a monkey, a flower, but this time she’d be front and

center, not just literally, but emotionally. There would be hundreds of lines to memorize, but even more nerve-wrack-

ing, the pressure would be on full-force to evoke the audience’s emotions, tug their heartstrings good and hard.

Rehearsals began immediately, and opening night came faster than seemed possible. Outside of running some

lines here and there, our role had been limited to chauffeur and occasional sounding board, so we had no idea

what to expect: Would she flub her lines? Would she be able to convince a paying audience that she was the

spunky, imaginative character she’d been enlisted to portray? Was this really happening? No, yes and yes.

Sitting in the audience watching my daughter — so self-possessed, so in the moment, enjoying herself with

every fiber — it seemed as if I was truly seeing her for the first time. It was a revelation to see her in the spotlight,

and I found myself brought nearly to tears by the realization that this confident kid is already so clearly her own

person, already well on her way to turning into a young woman, already so much more than just my baby. And

when the lights went down on the final scene, and I knew for sure that she’d done it for real, that she’d carried her

share of the emotional weight and nailed it good and proper, proving not just to me but to complete strangers

that she was an actor, for real — well, my heart was so full I thought it just might burst.

I imagine that there are moments like this for most parents, a crystalline instant when we realize that we’ve

done at least part of our jobs right. It’s that sort of revelatory moment that this issue is built around. As you thumb

through our pages, I hope you too will be moved to reassess your own preconceived notions. Perhaps you’ll be

inspired to look at the flora around you in a new way and take notice of the exquisite detail within every tendril

and seedpod. Or maybe your imagination will be sparked by the idea of icebergs changing the chemistry of their

surroundings, and be awestruck by the notion of a world made up entirely of shades of blue and green. Could be

the trigger for your own moment of Zen can be found elsewhere in these pages. What I am sure of is that, both

on- and off-campus, revelation is just an eye-blink away. All we have to do is take notice.

— Julene Snyder, Editor

U S D M AG A Z I N E2

B U T N OW I S E EO n ce yo u r eye s h ave b e e n o p e n e d, h ow c a n yo u eve r c l o s e t h e m a g a i n ?

[ r e v e l a t i o n ]

E D I TO R I A L L I C E N S EE D I TO R I A L L I C E N S E

U S D M AG A Z I N E

E

Props for the SistersI just got my USD Magazine, and I am delighted with the photo-graphs and the coverage you gaveto the Sacred Heart program(“Sacred Heart Still Beats,” Fall2007). Great! I hope it reminds thealumni and friends of the universityof how much the university’s heritage and legacy is owed tothe Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

— Alice HayesFormer USD president

It was so great to see Sister Shaf-fer on the cover of USD Magazineand read about the wonderfulwork she and her students aredoing through the FoundersClub. I fondly remember myyears at USD from 1976-79 andSister Shaffer’s chemistry course.

— Monica (Weiss) Drill ’79

The USD Magazine article about Sister Pat Shaffer and the FoundersClub was so very well done. TheFounders Club should grow be-cause of it. At our recent LagunaRetreat, President Lyons introducedherself to me and we chatted a bit.The next morning, before we wentto the first meeting, she handed mea hot-off-the-press copy of themagazine, knowing I would beinterested. Thank you for this article.

— Virginia (Karam) Frankum ’62

3S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

Come TogetherThe wildfires that spread acrossSan Diego County this past fallimpacted a number of members ofthe USD community in addition tothose whose stories we’ve high-lighted in this issue (“Up in Smoke,”page 8, and “The Witch CreekSisterhood,” page 24). Twoemployees, David Bergheim of theSchool of Business Administrationand Julieta Pastor of the CopleyLibrary, lost their homes in the fire,and a number of faculty and staffwere evacuated. We’d like to thankand acknowledge all those whogave their time and resources tohelp those affected, including ourstudents, who volunteered to helpevacuees at Qualcomm Stadium,and our Dining Services team,which delivered thousands of hotmeals to those displaced by thefires. To learn more or contribute to USD’s Fire Relief Fund, go tohttp://www.sandiego.edu/fire2007.

CorrectionIn the last issue of USD Magazine,we posted a notice that ClassNotes received after Sept. 1, 2007would appear in the Spring 2008issue. That notice should haveread that Class Notes receivedbefore Sept. 1, 2007 would appear in the subsequent issue.We sincerely regret the error.

Wr i t e u s . . .

We welcome letters to the

editor about articles in the

magazine. Letters may be

edited for length and content,

and must include a daytime

phone number. Write: Editor,

USD Magazine, 5998 Alcalá

Park, San Diego, CA 92110.

E-mail: letters@sandiego.edu.

A Long Way, BabyThank you so much for thatamazing profile of Summer atTiffany, and the wonderfulspread (Fall 2007)! It was mypleasure to be interviewed byKelly Knufken — her gift withwords and the artist's portrayalwere impressive.

Also, for me, the “EditorialLicense” on risk-taking was par-ticularly meaningful. For thisoctogenarian, it was a leap intothe dark for a new career!

I always look forward to theexcellent USD Magazine andhow well it reflects the universi-ty's values. You should takegreat pride, because both myhusband and I receive maga-zines from our schools (Univer-sity of Iowa and University ofOregon) that do not have thequality in either the writing —University of Iowa, of all places!— or presentation of USDMagazine. Almost to a person,what I’ve heard is, “Hasn’t that

magazine come a long way?”My best regards for contin-

ued success.— Marjorie Hart

Pizza, yes. Muffins, no.As a past president of the Universi-ty of San Diego Alumni Association

(2000-2001), I was thrilled to seethat the Finals Feeding Frenzy wasone of the three USD traditions youhighlighted in the article entitled,"How to Spot a Torero" (Fall 2007).This idea was conceived and firstimplemented by the dedicatedalumni board members and alumni

staff I had the privilege to servewith during a wonderful year.

We enthusiastically launchedthe first Feeding Frenzy in the fallof 2000. We were a bit concernedthat students would not come, sowe planned it for a Sundayevening at Aromas after Mass,hoping to catch some students ontheir way back to the dorms. Pizzasand muffins were on the menu.Alumni board members and alum-ni office staff all came to campusto serve (and cheer on) the stu-dents that Sunday evening. Only a few students showed up initially,so we spent most of the first hourstanding around talking to eachother and worrying. But by thesecond hour the word was out,and we were ordering more pizzasfor the never-ending long line ofstudents. The muffins weren'tmuch of a hit, but the slices ofpizza were. We learned.

So glad to see that Finals Feed-ing Frenzy is an ongoing tradition!

— Ann Mayo '90, '98

[ c o m e b a c k s ]

L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO RL E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R

U S D M AG A Z I N E4

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Peace is a precious com-modity. Especially in a timeof war and conflict, an act

of peace — even on the smallestscale — brings a sense of hope.

“The mandate is to change theworld, and that begins with our-selves. If we can change one indi-vidual, to make peace with them,it’s very contagious. Once youbecome comfortable as a peace-maker, it becomes somethinginstinctual because we knowvery clearly what the alternativeis. We see it every day in our

streets. What would it be like ifgang members could learn toapply conflict resolution withoutusing guns and knives and drive-by killings?”

Martin Sheen, a veteran filmand television actor and activist,spoke these words shortly afterhis appearance at the Oct. 17inauguration of the University ofSan Diego’s newest school, theJoan B. Kroc School of PeaceStudies. Sheen, through an invi-tation from USD President MaryE. Lyons, brought Hollywood star

power to a ceremony featuringthe school’s dean, Father WilliamHeadley, and Catholic Relief Ser-vices President Ken Hackett.

Sheen passionately recited St.Francis of Assisi’s Prayer forPeace, then made note of thosewho influenced his own activism.The distinguished list includedDorothy Day, the founder of theCatholic Worker organization;President John F. Kennedy; poet-philosopher RabindranathTagore; and spiritual and politicalleader Mahatma Gandhi. He also

PEACE TRAIN SOUNDING LOUDERMartin Sheen helps new school spread message to the massesby Ryan T. Blystone

[ w o r l d c h a n g e r s ]

school on campus. That gift, how-ever, provides only a foundation for what is truly at stake.

“Peace is too important to beleft to international diplomats andpresidents negotiating at amahogany table,” Headley said.“Peace is not a spectator sport. It’severy person’s business.” Sincearriving in August, the dean hasbeen inundated with inquiriesfrom people interested in teach-ing peace-building.

“The potential when somethinglike this goes public is that it gen-erates even more energy,” Headleysaid. “We can now get down towork. The party’s over. We’re finallyhere, and now we have to reallybegin to build this program.”

Hackett, whose organizationreaches 99 countries, saidHeadley is well-qualified to leadand produce the next generationof peacemakers.

“We have great hope for (theschool),” Hackett said. “CatholicRelief Services is looking for, asFather Headley mentioned in his(inauguration) speech, ‘an oasis’we can link with so that people wework with around the world canfind a place to step back — a safeplace to step back — and searchfor solutions to their problems.”

“Peace has a way of igniting agreat light in the world, and it isbecause there is so much darknessfrom the violence and the hatred,”said Sheen. “It’s primarily based on fear and ignorance. There arestudents here from Sierra Leone,Uganda, Kenya and Palestinian territories. That’s amazing! Can you imagine several Palestinianstudents coming here with someIsraeli students and what theirfuture is going to be? It will not be what it is now. This is a start.Now the great task begins.”

5S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

condemned the Bush administra-tion’s handling of foreign affairs.

“We’ve moved from legitimateprotection to paranoia.” Sheenhastened to add that while thosein foreign countries may takeissue with the current adminis-tration, they don’t transfer thosenegative feelings to the Ameri-can people. “I can assure you,they do not look at us the sameway they do our government,and that’s a good thing. Themore we raise our voices in dis-sent about what the real Ameri-can ideal is, against this horrificbusiness coming out of Washing-ton, I think we have a real chanceto make changes.”

The estate of the late Joan B.Kroc provided USD with a $50 mil-lion gift to create its sixth official

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[ s y l l a b u s ]Course: Services MarketingInstructor: Tim A. Becker

DESCRIPTION: Students “learn and apply the skills and techniques ofpersonal selling.” Also from the syllabus: “Please note, this is a fun class.You will be glad you took it, you will learn and do a lot!” Whew.

THE SCENE: A final exam of sorts. Students participate in a mock tradeshow on a small scale, complete with clamorous ambience, pitchmenand -women wielding props and visuals, along with judging by localbusinesspeople standing in as potential investors.

LOOKING THE PART: Attire for the ladies: black pumps and skirts ordresses. This being a presentation, note-cards were the perfect accessory.The chief financial officer for one company was appropriately clad in ablue shirt, suspenders and cuff links.

DO WE GET EXTRA CREDIT FOR THIS? One booth handed out T-shirts and water bottles customized with their logo. A venture aiming toclean up the diamond industry gave out free bling. CZs are blood-free, right?

WHO WOULD WANT TO INVEST IN THIS PLAN? “I think everybodywho is smart.”

THIS WASN’T HOW WE PLANNED IT: One group’s display sign fell,revealing their makeshift easel: a full trash can. Another team offeredmouse pads they’d made themselves. Only problem? One leaked greenink on a potential investor’s hand.

AND THE WINNER IS: Three women who pitched BeneFIT, a compa-ny that would provide personal training and nutrition services. Theyhanded out the above-mentioned T-shirts and water bottles, offered afruit bowl and raffled off a fitness-themed prize package. Yep, when itcomes to marketing, giving away free stuff is always a good idea.

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ING

C a t h o l i c R e l i e f S e r v i c e s

President Ken Hackett shared

a light moment with actor/

activist Martin Sheen at the

inauguration of USD’s new

School of Peace Studies.

isms interact with their ecosystems.His focus in the iceberg research ison Antarctic krill that are “really,really important ecologically.”

“In terms of the project we’redoing, they are major processorsof food. So they eat a lot, and theyare eaten a lot. They defecate a lot,so they are processing material.”Kaufmann is enthusiastic aboutAntarctica, where he’s been goingfor research projects for 15 years.

“Antarctica is a really, reallyamazing place,” he says. “Imagine a world where there is no red,there’s no orange, there’s no yel-low. And everything is in shades of black, white, gray, blue andgreen. But the spectrum of black,white, gray, blue and green is justmuch more diverse than you’dever get in this kind of environ-ment. So there are shades of bluethat you never, ever, ever see here— ice blues and things like that.”

And he’s passionate about theorganisms he’s been studying fordecades, which live in “very dark,very cold, very high-pressure”places. “I was interested in deep-seaanimals and how they managed tomake a living in this really — to me— sort of strange environment.”

Animals that toil away on thesea floor trying to eat and not beeaten might not sound riveting,but in Kaufmann’s office thereare amazing keepsakes likespindly glass rods made by actu-al sponges deep in the sea. Andhis enthusiasm could charm any-one into wanting to spend timeon a ship in the Antarctic lookingfor shy ocean creatures.

U S D M AG A Z I N E6

might be pulled from the atmos-phere as a result of an iceberg’spresence. All the organisms living around the iceberg willinevitably convert carbon fromthe atmosphere into fecal matter,which falls to the ocean floor.

Kaufmann and his fellowscientists will travel to theAntarctic this May and June tobegin measuring this effect. It’san important question, as carbondioxide accumulation is a hottopic of global warming.

Kaufmann, who has always takenUSD students on his Antarcticresearch trips, comes to the work byway of his interest in how organ-

There’s more to icebergs thanmeets the eye. Everybodyknows that. But a team of

scientists, which includes a USDprofessor, is delving into the richdevelopment of life that icebergsattract in their wake and the rolethey may play in climate change.

The team’s research, first pub-lished in Science in July 2007,revealed the areas around ice-bergs as teeming with life. As thegiant floating structures melt,they essentially fertilize the ocean,says Ron Kaufmann, associateprofessor of Marine Science andEnvironmental Studies, releasingmaterial into the water that fuels

TANGLED UP IN BLUEI c e b e r g s t u d i e s c o u l d h a v e g l o b a l w a r m i n g i m p l i c a t i o n s

[ h o t t o p i c ]

more growth of algae, whichattracts more and more animals.

“So they’re not just passiveobjects floating around,” Kauf-mann says. “They’re actuallychanging the chemistry of thearea that they’re moving through.Of course, if you change thechemistry, you have the potentialto change the biology, and as abiologist I’m particularly interest-ed in that.” Indeed, Kaufmann hashis own research paper stemmingfrom the project forthcoming.

The initial research paved theway for a three-year grant fromthe National Science Foundationto measure how much carbon

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7S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

TAKING CARES c h o o l o f N u r s i n g t a ke s t h e l e a d i n g e t t i n g d o c t o r a lc a n d i d a t e s t h e f u n d i n g t h e y n e e d t o c o n t i n u eby Barbara Davenport

[ w e l l b e i n g ]

funds from the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services; she’sgarnered more than $560,000 inthe last four years. If Etland, whograduates next year, teaches fulltime in a school of nursing or in aclinical track, up to 85 percent ofthe principal and interest of herloans may be forgiven.

Dean Sally Hardin and Roth arecommitted to securing funding fortheir students to develop nurseswho will be leaders in their field.The need is urgent: California facesa current shortage of 10,000 nurs-es; nationally the shortage oftrained nurses will reach 1 millionby 2020. Roth and Hardin havebuilt the school’s M.S.N. and doc-toral programs to prepare nursesfor careers as researchers, clinicalteachers and senior executives, and

Carolyn Etland, a doctoralcandidate in the HahnSchool of Nursing and

Health Science’s Ph.D. program,almost didn’t apply. The palliativecare nurse knew she wanted toteach, but the cost of the Universi-ty of San Diego’s program wasdaunting. She was poised to startonline doctoral coursework at theUniversity of Utah, but she wasdrawn back by the quality of USD’scurriculum. “I didn’t know how Iwas going to do it when I started,”she says. “I took it on faith.”

That trust has been reinforcedwith a tuition loan from the NurseFaculty Loan Program, managedby the school. In 2007, for thethird consecutive year, Ph.D. pro-gram Chair Patricia Roth securedmore than $200,000 of program

February 29Grandparents WeekendThis year’s activities include classes,a Mass at Founders Chapel, toursof both the school and the city, anda welcome reception. Visitors won’twant to miss out on the Saturdaybreakfast, which features a talkwith the new dean of the Joan B.Kroc School of Peace Studies, William Headley. To learn more, go to www.sandiego.edu/parents.

April 26Alumni HonorsAt this gala, alumni will be present-ed with the Mother Rosalie CliftonHill Service Award, the BishopCharles Francis Buddy Humanitari-an Award, the Author E. HughesCareer Achievement Award, andinducted into the Chet and theMarguerite Pagni Family AthleticHall of Fame. For further informa-tion, ticket sales and sponsorshipopportunities, call (619) 260-4819.

May 3City of Hope WalkNearly 3,000 walkers are expectedto gather for either a 3K or 5K walkthrough campus to participate inthe City of Hope Walk to Cure BreastCancer, with an aim toward raising$200,000 for breast cancer researchand treatment. The day’s activitiesare family-friendly and include livemusic, entertainment, sponsor give-aways and a survivors pavilion. Toregister, go to www.cityofhope.org/WalkforHope/sandiego.

May 17, 24-25Commencement Law School graduates will receive their degrees on Saturday,May 17 at 9 a.m. at the JennyCraig Pavilion, while the rest ofthe university’s graduate stu-dents march across that stage aweek later at 1 p.m. on Saturday,May 24. Undergraduate com-mencement takes place on Sunday,May 25 at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. For fur-ther details, go to www.sandiego.edu/commencement/.

SAVET H E D A T E

F I N A L A N S W E R School of

Law professor Junichi Semitsu

appeared on the TV show

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

in mid-January for two nights.

After correctly guessing the

answer to the $25,000 question

with the help of his “phone a

friend” lifeline (turns out the

Rosetta Stone features writing

in both Egyptian and Greek),

Semitsu ultimately came up

with the wrong answer to the

$50,000 question (“According

to the U.S. Census Bureau,

of approximately 197 million

eligible voters in 2004, about

how many voted in the presi-

dential election?”). The profes-

sor’s guess was 85 million,

but the correct answer was, in

fact, 125 million. Nonetheless,

Semitsu walked away with a

cool $25,000.

to become the faculty who willtrain the next generation. Hardinencourages all M.S.N. candidates— the majority of the school’s 300students — to expand their goalsand aim for a doctorate.

One statistic speaks to theschool’s success: of San DiegoCounty’s nine schools of nursing,seven are led now or have beenled by USD graduates. The schoolis ranked in the top 10 percent ofnursing schools, and its 150 doc-toral graduates teach and lead in90 institutions.

The efforts of Roth and DeanHardin have made a substantialimpact on the current class. Etlandsays, “I can’t describe to you thegratitude I feel to the school.Everyone in my program hasfunding, which is unheard of.”

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[ q u i z k i d ]

Matt and Valerie married in 1989at Founders Chapel, but spiritually,they’ve been together since theirfirst date. Their relationshipstrengthened, even as Valerie, whoearned USD degrees in politicalscience and Spanish and a parale-gal credential, spent three years inNorthern California to participatein a Jesuit volunteer corps andobtain a law degree. Matt receivedhis USD degrees in internationalrelations and Spanish, in 1987, andearned his J.D. in 1990.

“She was my son Matthew’sbest friend,”Valerie says. Otherranch animals — cattle, pigs,chickens and llamas — did survive.

A small chapel, with its crucifixand colorful tapestries, was spared.“Luke (Matt’s brother-in-law) saysMass here sometimes. Most of thekids have been baptized here, andwe’ve had a few marriages,”Valeriesays. “We’re really thankful it didn’tburn down.”

Rose offers her explanation:“It’s God’s house.”

The narrow, uneven, dustyroad tests the off-roadcapabilities of the vehicle.

Another turn here, a steep hillthere. Despite the obstacles, theFord Expedition, driven by ValerieJauregui ‘86, shows no sign ofstruggle. It’s familiar territory. TheSUV pulls into a makeshift parkingspot next to the charred remainsof a home on a hill that overlooksthe family’s ranch in unincorporat-ed Escondido. Jauregui, accompa-nied by the oldest of three chil-dren, 14-year-old Rose, isn’t fazedby the drive.

“It’s not a problem. We came in the road that’s longer androugher. There’s another roadthat’s easier.”

Taking the easy route likelynever entered her mind. Whenyou’ve lost two homes in the WitchCreek Fire, the largest blaze ofthose that burned throughout SanDiego County last fall, nothing’seasy. Not even shopping.

“You’re at Wal-Mart, going upand down the aisles, and say toyourself, ‘I need everything.’”

But Jauregui and her husband,Matt, also a USD graduate, aremaking sure their family movesforward. They took shelter inanother home on the ranch,where Matt’s sister, Mary, who hasa family of 10, resides.

The 280-acre ranch, the centralresidence to nearly 50 familymembers, lost five other homes— belonging to two of Matt’sbrothers, two nephews and aniece — to the fire. Of the seven

8 U S D M AG A Z I N E

homes, only Matt’s brother, Jim,had fire insurance.

“Everybody’s spirits are good,”Valerie says. “We’re so thankful forthe open door and to stay as longas we need.”The fire alsodestroyed cars, including Matt’s1953 Chevy truck he drove as astudent at USD. The family’s preg-nant Australian Shepherd, Lacy,died from smoke inhalation whenshe was accidentally trapped inone of the homes Matt and otherrelatives tried to save.

A R O U N D T H E PA R K

UP IN SMOKE F a i t h i s t h e k e y t o m o v i n g f o r w a r d a f t e r W i t c h C r e e k F i r e by Ryan T. Blystone

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O c t o b e r ’s w i l d f i r e s , Va l e r i e

a n d M a t t J a u r e g u i a n d t h e i r

c h i l d r e n , R o s e ( f a r r i g h t ) ,

M a t t h e w a n d M a r y a n n e a r e

t h a n k f u l t h a t t h e s m a l l c h a p e l

o n t h e f a m i l y r a n c h r e m a i n s

i n t a c t . T h e i r f a i t h h a s h e l p e d

t h e m i n t h e r e b u i l d i n g p r o c e s s .

[ g r a c e u n d e r p r e s s u r e ]

matrix of all the organizationsand entities involved in the field.

Miller cites the Chula Vista Project, where Burnham-Mooresprofessors Lou Galuppo andCharles Tu are part of a majorresearch effort in sustainablecommunity development, onethat’s already yielding classroomdividends.

A joint project of the Burn-ham-Moores Center, the state ofCalifornia, the city of Chula Vistaand the U.S. Department of Ener-gy, the nationally recognizedeffort will develop a design forenergy-efficient communitydevelopment. The goal is to pres-ent a set of practices that will beeasily transferable for all phasesof development.

Galuppo aims to delineate thebarriers to green development andpropose possible solutions. He’stalking to real estate professionalsas well as to players in labor, pri-vate industry, government andenvironmental organizations, andevaluating financial markets.

“I’m learning green develop-ment from all these perspec-tives,” Galuppo says. “And all of itcomes back into the classroomwhen I teach.”

Devotion to faith, raising theirchildren and living close toextended family have played a bigrole in the couple’s joy. And theranch encompassed everything.

Matt and his relatives weredetermined to battle the WitchCreek Fire that started Oct. 21.“We decided Valerie and the kidsneeded to evacuate,” Matt recalls.“We woke up the kids and toldthem to pack clothes. Valerie andthe kids left at 4 a.m. My brothersand I, the older nephews and myfather stayed. We were deter-mined to save our homes.”

The fire made its mark in thewee hours of Oct. 23, hitting thehome of Matt’s brother, Pete.Matt, Pete and his son-in-lawDerek went to the scene to battlethe blaze with a water truck.They were quickly overwhelmed.

“We held T-shirts against ourmouths because it was so hot anddifficult to breathe,” Matt recalls.They retreated to a steel cargocontainer, but, in the process, lostthe water truck and the house.

The destruction had a dominoeffect. Matt said four otherhomes “simultaneously burst into flames” because of a firewallthree to four miles long. The menfled to save the most importantpiece of ranch property.

“We were exhausted, but wewere determined not to lose theranch house where we’d all beenraised,” Matt says. “By God’s grace,the ranch house, granny flat andmy sister’s house were saved.”

The fire’s damage is forcing a major rebuilding effort for2008, but the power of family,faith and their future is helpingthem cope. “None of the childrenand most of the adults don’twant to move into the city,” Mattsays. “Valerie and I would nottake our children off the ranchbecause we felt that while welost our houses, the ranch wasstill our home. The ranch is like ahub for the family.”

To give to USD’s Fire Relief Fund, goto www.sandiego.edu/fire2007.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 9

Norm Miller wants the Burn-ham-Moores Center forReal Estate as green as he

can make it. The nationally knownreal estate scholar arrived last fallas the center’s new director of aca-demic programs, with an agendathat includes research and teach-ing initiatives that place greendevelopment into the local andnational real estate conversation.

High on Miller’s agenda is hisown research, which examines theincentives and barriers to greenbuilding in commercial real estate.He presented those findings at “Is It Easy Being Green?,”a fall 2007seminar for real estate executives,developers, contractors, lenders,investors, and civic and govern-mental leaders. He plans toexpand his study, including morecosts and other variables, and pub-lish it as a monograph.

The center will also start TheJournal of Sustainable RealEstate, publishing research onthe economics of sustainablebuilding practices.

“We’d also like to sponsor anannual conference and worktoward making the center’s worka national resource,” Miller says.

That effort includes building a

[ b u i l d i n g s m a r t e r ]

SHADES OF GREEN Ce n t e r f o r R e a l E s t a t e p u t sc o n s e r v a t i o n o n f r o n t b u r n e r by Barbara Davenport

University trustee Richard K.Davis, president and CEO of U.S. Bancorp, was recently award-ed the President’s Lifetime Volun-teer Service Award. As chairman of the Financial Services Round-table’s 2007 Community Build Dayinitiative, Davis spearheaded thatevent, which enlisted more than76 Roundtable member compa-nies to mobilize more than 26,500volunteers in all 50 states. Theirefforts resulted in the collectivebuilding of 78 homes, the repair of an additional 96 homes, schoolsupply and food and clothingdrives, and more than two dozenwalk/runs.

This year marks 30 years sinceUSD became the home of theUniversity of the Third Age (U3A) in 1978. With a mission of fostering lifelong learning,U3A offers workshops through-out the year, culminating with a summer session and celebra-tion from July 14-31, 2008. Thesession that recently concludedincluded presentations on avariety of topics, ranging fromcampus history to Antarctic icebergs to the ways that mediaeffects children. To learn more,go to http://usdce.org/u3a orcall (619) 260-4231.

The Alumni Relations Office isseeking updated e-mail addressesfrom all alumni, as most communi-cation — monthly e-newsletters,event invitations, campus newsand special announcements — is now delivered electronically.Those who send updated e-mailaddresses, along with their fullname and graduation year, toalumni@sandiego.edu by March31 will be entered in a raffle towin an iPod Nano and othergreat prizes. Winners will be notified via e-mail. For moreinformation, call (619) 260-4819.

[ e tc . ]

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by Ryan T. Blystone

The most important monthfor college basketballnationwide — March and

its well-documented tournamentmadness — is nearly here, but forthe USD men’s basketball team, itholds a twofold purpose in 2008.

Nearly a year after Bill Grierwas introduced as the Toreros’fourth head coach since the pro-gram moved to the Division Ilevel in 1979, he and his staffhave a team comprised of noseniors, several young playersstill finding their way at the

collegiate level, and juniors GynoPomare and Brandon Johnsonwho have the experience, but arestill working on leadership roles.

This scenario may seem arecipe for a first-year disaster, but it requires more than a pass-ing glance. “Every job out therehas something that makes it hard,”Grier said. “You look at the eliteprograms like UCLA, Kentucky,Duke and North Carolina. Theirexpectations are so high that ifthey don’t win a national champi-onship, it’s been a disastrous year.

Every program has challenges, andthis one does too. But I think thereare a lot of positives that madethis a very attractive position tome. I’m excited for the opportunityand excited to be here.”

Grier recruited two freshmen, 6-foot-2 guard Trumaine Johnsonand 6-foot-10 center NathanLozeau, to USD. To gain exposurefor the program, Grier also used a tactic learned at Gonzaga, where he spent the last 16 yearsas an assistant coach: play betternonconference competition.

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[ t e a m b u i l d i n g ]

TO R E R O AT H L E T I C S

Grier’s debut non-conferenceschedule featured home gameswith UNLV and San Diego State, aneutral-court tournament with agame against USC, and roadgames against New Mexico andKentucky. USD will be in nextyear’s Paradise Jam in the U.S. Vir-gin Islands, and USD hopes to bein the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout.

“To build something here, it hasto be done with scheduling andrecruiting,” Grier says. “Our sched-ule was beefed up, maybe unfairlyto this team. I think it’s going to

Co a c h B i l l G r i e r i s exc i t e d t h a t

U S D i s h o s t i n g t h e 2 0 0 8 W CC

M e n’s a n d Wo m e n’s B a s ke t b a l l

To u r n a m e n t : “A ny t i m e yo u c a n

g e t i t o n yo u r h o m e c o u r t g i ve s

yo u a n e d g e,” h e s a ys .

UNDER CONSTRUC TIONG rier wants to promote USD ’s own brand of M arch M adness

help us, especially when we get toleague. There’s not going to be aplace we go to — including Gon-zaga and St. Mary’s — where theyshould get rattled, because theywill have already gone to The Pit(New Mexico) and Rupp Arena(Kentucky) to prepare them.”

When asked what he’d considera successful first season, USD Ath-letic Director Ky Snyder, who hiredGrier, says, “It wouldn’t be in therecord as much as in the effort andstyle of play. What we see now areglimpses of what we can be, but it’sjust not consistent at this point.”

For instance, USD recorded anupset 81-72 win over Kentucky infront of 23,756 at Rupp Arena inlate December. Two days later,against Marshall, the Toreros lost76-60. With no seniors on the team,athletic scholarships aren’t in bigsupply at USD, but the demand fortalent and how to attract it isalways on a coach’s mind.

The home game against Gon-zaga — Feb. 18 this year — hastraditionally been well-attendedby students and area fans. “Wewant to have 1,000 students atevery game,” Snyder says. “Thathelps you win games. That helpsyou recruit better players.”

Another plus for attracting bas-ketball fans, students and poten-tial recruits is USD’s hosting of the2008 WCC Men’s and Women’sBasketball Tournament on March6-10. The university is hosting theevent for the first time since 2003,which is also the last time USDwon the tournament — a 72-63title game defeat over Gonzaga —and earned the WCC’s automaticNCAA Tournament bid.

“It’s a high brand of basketball,”Snyder says.“To bring that into ourcity is great for San Diego as awhole. ESPN comes here, and forthree days they show our cam-pus and the city. All it can do isput the university out there infront of a lot more eyes.”

For more information about theWCC Men’s and Women’sTournament, call (619) 260-7550.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 1 1

Amanda Rego is a leader and a consummate teammate on USD’swomen’s basketball team. The 5-foot-10 senior point guard is comingoff a stellar 2006-07 season in which the Toreros recorded the mostwins (21) in the program’s history. Rego led the nation in assists (7.6average per game), was the university’s first women’s basketball playerselected WCC Player of the Year, and she set records for most assists(230) and steals (83) in a season. She became USD’s all-time assistsleader on Dec. 28, 2007.

“ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HER FRESHMAN AND SENIOR YEARS I kind of got fed up after my first year

because we had a losing season. Even the second year was a transitionyear (Cindy Fisher’s first year as coach). I could tell things were going toget better, but we still didn’t do that well. Last year and my senior year,it’s just … it’s time. We need to get a championship. I’ve never been apart of a losing program. That was the whole reason I wanted to cometo USD — to help change a program that needed to be changed.

ON HER PRE-GAME ROUTINE We always eat together as a team. Nomatter if we’re playing at home or away, we do a pre-game meal. Onething I always do is take a nap, wake up and take a shower. When we’rehome, we blast the music in the locker room to get pumped up. Whenwe’re on the road, on the bus, I have music on. It depends on the moodI’m in what I listen to. Sometimes it’s hip-hop and upbeat, and some-times, it’s slow, R&B or whatever.

ON HER GOALS FOR THE YEAR The team goal is definitely winning aWCC championship. It’s been a goal for me the whole time I’ve been here.Coach Fisher has really stressed it, and I just think that is the ultimate goal.I want the championship. Personally, obviously, it’s nice when you get personal accolades, but for me, honestly, it’s just about us winning.

ON HER LEGACY I want tobe remembered as the personwho led the team to a WCCchampionship and to a goodrun in the NCAA Tournament.Honestly, that’s it. More thananything, I just want to beremembered for us winningthe WCC championship andgetting another banner in thegym. They have a little thing inour locker room when you wina WCC championship. There’s apicture frame that lists thedates when you’ve won it, and there’s only two years on it right now (1993 and 2000).

[AS TOLD TO RYAN T. BLYSTONE]

S E N I O R M O M E N TTURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY

[ f i r s t p e r s o n ]

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The Way We WereThe jam-packed fall sports season concluded this pastDecember, and there were a number of highlights forUniversity of San Diego athletic programs. The volley-ball and football teams werechampions in their respectiveconferences — Pioneer Foot-ball League and West CoastConference — while a total of 32 USD athletes were either first- or second-teamselections or an honorablemention.

Football StatsFirst-year football coach RonCaragher directed the teamto 9-2 overall record, and sen-ior quarterback Josh Johnsoncompleted his impressiveUSD career. Johnson finishedas the NCAA’s all-time leaderin passing efficiency (176.68rating). In 2007, he set a sin-gle-season record for mosttouchdown passes (43).Defensive end Erik Bakhtiarihad a nation-leading 20 quar-terback sacks, and widereceiver John Matthewscaught a school record 16touchdown passes.

Postseason AdvancesTwo teams — volleyball andwomen’s soccer — advancedto the NCAA postseason. Thevolleyball team, ranked 16thin the nation, lost a first-round match to Iowa State in a regional held in Madison,Wisc. Women’s soccer, fueledby all-time goal-scoring leaderAmy Epsten and a program-best No. 9 ranking, competedin the UCLA regional, but lostto Oklahoma State in a first-round game.

FALLH I G H L I G H T S

F r o m s i t c o m s t o B ro a d way,2 0 y e a r s o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n

b e t w e e n U S D ’s M . F. A . P r o g r a m

a n d Th e O l d G l o b e

h a s m a d e f o r s o m e m i g h t y

i m p r e s s i v e

r é s u m é s

A Flair for the Dramatic

B Y C A R O L C U J E C

p h o t o g r a p h y b y T i m M a n t o a n i

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 1 3

sity of San Diego GraduateActing Program, perhaps themost acclaimed classicaltraining program in the coun-try. In this intensive two-yeartraining, students take classesat USD and perform at TheOld Globe, working alongsidesuch theater legends asthree-time Tony Award-win-ning director and USD hon-orary Doctor of Humane Letters Jack O’Brien and TonyAward-winner Richard Easton,who served as actor-mentorin the program for sevenyears. Though many graduatescontinue to work in classicaltheater around the country,

the training prepares themfor work in any genre. A casein point is the new CBS come-dy Big Bang Theory, whichdebuted last fall to goodreviews and stars Globe/USDgraduate Jim Parsons '01.

“He’s a very funny characteractor,” says program directorRichard Seer. “That’s a sitcom,but he could do Shakespearejust as easily. Our students dosoaps, TV shows, movies,everything.” Other graduateshave guest-starred on morethan 50 television shows (Law& Order, The Sopranos, Sex andthe City, and ER, to name a

few) and appeared in morethan 30 films.

The program also enjoys astrong reputation in NewYork, where in just the pastfive years more than 25Globe/USD graduates haveappeared in Broadway pro-ductions. The award-winningplay Nine Parts of Desire,which Heather Raffo ’98wrote and developed — par-tially out of her M.F.A. thesis— ran for nine sold-outmonths at the ManhattanEnsemble Theatre in 2004.The same year, O’Brien won aTony for directing Henry IV onBroadway, which also won for

best play revival. That pro-duction included fiveGlobe/USD graduates. Andlast year O’Brien accepted his third Tony as director ofthe monumental productionCoast of Utopia, Tom Stop-pard’s nine-hour trilogystaged in its entirety at Lincoln Center. The produc-tion won more Tonys thanany other play in history —and it included fourGlobe/USD graduates.

T he M.F.A. programsprang to life in 1987from the friendship

U S D M AG A Z I N E1 4

S even young actors trotconfidently onto USD’sStudio Theatre stage in

front of admiring fans — fami-ly, friends, their hardworkingprofessors and associates fromThe Old Globe who left workearly to see them. This is adress rehearsal for their 2007showcase, which is traveling toNew York City in two days,their final task as students inThe Old Globe/University ofSan Diego Graduate ActingProgram. Their next audienceof producers, agents and cast-ing directors may intimidate abit more, but that New Yorkperformance will launch their

careers as professional actors. They pose in front of the

audience, radiating energyfrom their wide smiles. Thethree women and four men inthe class of 2007 teasinglycall themselves “the sevenwonders of the world” — thisis, after all, no time for mod-

esty. From here they unleasheight short scenes that exhib-it their wide range of talent: a young woman confronts her new stepmother, whohappens to be just her age; a fast-talking drug pusherattempts to sell his wares toa prudish geek; a wide-eyed

college kid confesses hiscrush on his T.A. The finalpiece, darkly comic, portraysa manic woman who insistson role-playing a hypotheti-cal scene with her husband,in which he is forced tochoose between throwing heror his own mother out of asinking lifeboat:

“I know what you want me tosay, OK? You want me to saymy mother. You … want me tothrow her into the sea — youdo,” accuses Rhett Henckel, histall frame stiffening.

“Somebody has to drown —that’s the situation … butwho? Choose who,” imploresSummer Shirey, her long,dark hair swinging as sheclutches his arm with exagger-ated pathos.

T his year marks the20th Anniversary ofThe Old Globe/Univer-

G r a d u a t e A c t i n g P r o g r a m

d i r e c t o r R i c h a r d S e e r

( p r e v i o u s p a g e ) h a s t h e f u l l

a t t e n t i o n o f h i s s t u d e n t s .

A t r i g h t , f i r s t y e a r g r a d u a t e

t h e a t e r s t u d e n t K e r n

M c F a d d e n t a k e s a b r e a k

b e t w e e n s c e n e s .

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 1 7

between Globe Foundingdirector Craig Noel and USDVice President and ProvostSally Furay. “The two of themthought we needed to trainyoung actors to do the kind of work that the Globe isknown for, especially theShakespeare,” explains Seer.Though Noel’s alma mater, San Diego State University,was keen on joining forceswith the Globe, Seer explainsthat the University of SanDiego was granted the privi-lege because of his relation-ship to Furay, and also be-cause USD was very open tothe Globe having a major say in

how the program was set up. “The university has been

great through the whole relationship, and as a conse-quence the Globe has verymuch done its part too,” saysSeer. “To my knowledge, wehave probably the best rela-tionship in the country of auniversity to a professionaltheater.”

Globe benefactors Donaldand Darlene Marcos Shileygot the program on its feetby supplying a million-dollarendowment. Each studentaccepted into the program is awarded a full-tuition

scholarship from USD (two of which are endowed by the Shileys) and a monthlystipend from the Globe.

Darlene Shiley, herself aformer actress and currentchair of USD’s Board of Trus-tees, calls the program aboffo success and even takespersonal pride in students’accomplishments. “I get reallyexcited when I go to theGlobe and I see one of ourkids up there,” she raves. “It’s like my own child.”

Just getting into the pro-gram is an accomplishment.Out of hundreds of applicantseach year, only seven are

selected, making this one ofthe most competitive M.F.A.programs in the country, with an acceptance rate ofjust 2 percent. That’s morecutthroat than Harvard Law.“It’s amazing to see howmany people really want toget in,” says program coordi-nator Llance Bower. “We havestudents that turn down Yale,NYU — the top programs inthe country — to come here.”

Nearly all students enterthe program with some pro-fessional experience in addi-tion to an undergraduate theater degree. This is impor-

tant, says Seer, since it showscommitment as well as anability to perform at the Globealongside some of the finestactors in the country. BeforeRod Brogan ’04 came to USD,he had numerous televisionroles to his credit, includingregular appearances on MajorDad and One Life to Live. Butwhen he decided to try moretheater, his agent told him heneeded real theatrical train-ing. “One of the big thingsthey taught me when I firstgot to USD was that being aTV actor I was largely actingfrom my neck up,” he says.

On a similar note, Christine

Marie Brown ’01 performedShakespeare on a year-longtour with the AmericanShakespeare Center beforejoining the program. Duringthat time, she realized theimportance of classical train-ing. “On the tour, we weren’tfrom any school of thoughtwhen it came to Shakespeareor acting. I felt I was sur-rounded by a lot of immaturi-ty and bad habits as far asacting and performing goes,and I thought, ‘Wow, I’m notsure I know what good actingis anymore.’”

O ld Globe/USD stu-dents study a compre-hensive curriculum

that includes acting, voiceand speech, movement, dra-matic literature, stage com-bat, audition technique andsinging. In the second year,students spend two weeks inLondon seeing plays and par-ticipating in tours of historicand theatrical landmarks. Atthe Globe, they appear in thesummer Shakespeare Festivalproductions and serve asunderstudies for most main-stage plays in the regular sea-son. “Our students work andperform in the professional

theater — and I can say thiswith a certain amount of con-fidence — more than anyother students anywhere inthe country,” says Seer.

Brogan says that thisconnection with The Old Globeis what led him to USD. “If yougo to NYU or Yale or Julliard,

F i r s t y e a r M . F. A . s t u d e n t

B r i a n L e e H u y n h ( a t l e f t )

l a y s h i m s e l f o p e n e m o t i o n a l -

l y t o g r e a t d r a m a t i c e f f e c t

d u r i n g a m o n o l o g u e .

U S D M AG A Z I N E1 8

resources. And now I stilldon’t have the money buthopefully a better chance ofgetting a job,” he chuckles.

And what sort of shot doeshe have? Statistically quitesmall, given the intense com-petition, and yet many gradu-ates are in fact realizing theimpossible — a career as aprofessional actor. “Instantly,coming out of the showcase, Iwas offered a bunch ofunderstudy jobs at Manhat-tan Theater Club becausethey saw that we were capa-ble of understudying big pro-ductions and well-knownactors,” says Brogan. “I under-

studied the national tour of Doubt and now I’m under-studying Bobby Cannavale in a Broadway show calledMauritius, solely on thestrength of our showcase andmy résumé from the Globe.”

Aaron Krohn ’99, whoappeared in O’Brien’s TonyAward-winning productionsHenry IV and Coast of Utopia,is now working in his fifthBroadway show. Speaking by phone from his dressingroom during a break from The Farnsworth Invention,currently playing on Broad-way, Krohn calls it “amazing

and unlikely” that he is ableto earn a living as a Broadwayactor and hang out with folkslike Ethan Hawke and leg-endary playwright Tom Stop-pard (whom he casually refersto as “Tom”). Krohn and otherM.F.A. grads expressed grati-tude for their relationshipwith O’Brien, who has openeddoors for many of them.

“Jack’s own trail back toNew York sort of plowed ourway,” says Krohn. “He has con-tinued to be a mentor to us.”

Brown, who also workedwith O’Brien in New York,recently completed a run asViola in Twelfth Night at the

Seattle Repertory Theatre. In 2006, she returned to TheOld Globe to star oppositeJonathan McMurtry in thewell-reviewed production of Trying, directed by Seer.Speaking by phone from hertemp job as a legal secretaryin New York, she recalls Seer’sadvice to view an actingcareer as a marathon ratherthan a sprint. “It can be sucha crapshoot. That’s one of thelures of this profession: at anymoment, any audition, anydoor that opens could be theone that gets you on TV or ina movie.”

you perform your student showsin front of your friends and yourfamily and other students, andyou do only five shows over oneweekend. At the Globe, our stu-dent shows are done in theCarter theater in front of 250people for a week, and we’realso working on Globe showsand speaking Shakespeare infront of 600 people a night for amonth at a time. I just don’tthink that the two really com-pare.”

Arguably the hardest-work-ing folks on campus, M.F.A.students can spend up to 12hours a day, six or even sevendays a week in classes and

rehearsals — from 10 a.m. to10 p.m. — with an hour breakfor lunch and dinner. Andbecause of performance obli-gations, they don’t get timeoff for spring and summerbreaks. “I think I clocked 13 hours a day one term,”Brogan recalls. “After the

day’s classes ended, I hadrehearsals all day at the Globefor three different Shakespeareplays, including the fightrehearsals, and at night I hadto do a show on the Globestage. That was a killer week.”

With little time to learnlines, Brogan says that stu-dents typically walk aroundwith script in hand trying tosteal time during five-minutebreaks. “I think we all look alittle insane walking aroundthe USD campus talking toourselves the entire time,” hesays, laughing.

After two years, graduatingstudents perform their show-

case, a series of brief scenesto display their talent, in LosAngeles and New York City infront of agents and castingdirectors. “It’s our equivalentof having IBM come on cam-pus, only we’re going tothem,” explains Seer. Afterthis fall’s showcase, recentgraduate Rhett Henckeladmitted to feeling ready tocollapse after running franti-cally for two years, but he’salso buoyed by confidence.

“This will be my first time trying to live in New York. I couldn’t do it before. I didn’thave the money or the

V i v i a F o n t ( r i g h t ) t h r o w s

h e r s e l f i n t o c h a r a c t e r w h e n

w o r k i n g w i t h p e e r s i n t h e

O l d G l o b e / U n i v e r s i t y o f

S a n D i e g o G r a d u a t e A c t i n g

P r o g r a m .

the dark Studio Theatre,where they’ve been spendingabout 25 hours a week out-side of class. They are inrehearsal for their studentproduction of Pericles to beperformed at The Old Globe.

“Let’s start from the begin-ning of the scene and seewhat’s changed since yester-day,” chirps their director,Sabin Epstein, after chattingamiably with his actors. Heslips into one corner of thetheater and observes, takingonly mental notes.

What he’s teaching them isthe process of rehearsing aplay from the moment they

first read the title on thepage to the moment theshow opens. “We spend a lotof time not only analyzingthe text but determining howto break the code to discoverthe author’s intent in whatthe character is doing at thatmoment,” he explains. Thegoal is to create intelligentactors capable of addingflesh to words and bringingfresh ideas into the rehearsalroom. “It’s much more fun toengage the actors in a discus-sion of what they’re doingrather than my being a pup-peteer and just manipulating

them,” he says. “And I thinktheir performance has a dif-ferent sense of ownershipbecause they’re playingthings that they’ve created.”

At the end of the scene,Epstein asks several actorsabout their motivation: “Howdo you want him to feel?Where are we in the scene,and what’s happened themoment before?” All theactors, taking a seat on thefloor, offer suggestions andask questions in an effort tobreathe life into characterscreated 400 years ago.

Epstein listens, interjects,nods. “It’s D — it’s all of the

above,” he approves. “Let’s see what happens with that.”After an hour, he runs thescene once more. This timethe actors play with suchfocus that one of their col-leagues is brought to tears.

“Thanks,” says Epstein. “This is progress.”

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 2 1

Melissa Friedman ’96 — whoalong with fellow graduate JimWallert ’98 founded a criticallyacclaimed Off-Broadway com-pany called the Epic TheatreEnsemble — expressed grati-tude for the mentorship shereceived from renowned actorRichard Easton. “Richard wouldpull us aside and give us noteson how to capture an audi-ence’s attention and focus thestory correctly.” This founda-tion led her to become a mentor to students in NewYork City public schools byrunning arts education pro-grams. Using primarily classi-cal plays, she and other actors

in the company help studentsexplore critical social ques-tions and then create and per-form their own original play.

“I can hear his voice evennow,” says Friedman. “Richardwould say, ‘The moon is alwaysout there.’ When you’re talkingabout the moon in Shake-speare, it’s always out in frontof the audience. He retrainedus so that our eyes could beseen and the audience couldsee right into our souls.

“He was never a teacher inthe pedagogical, didacticsense, but being around himas an actor and watching him

work was probably the biggestinfluence on my work,” recallsKrohn, who played with Eastonin a number of Broadway pro-ductions. “He doesn’t buy in tothe idea that if I’m playingRomeo I need to decide whatmy objective is,” he says,laughing. “Richard would sayShakespeare has put it allthere for you. You get back toHamlet’s speech.”

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trip-pingly on the tongue: but if youmouth it, as many of your playersdo, I had as lief the town-crierspoke my lines. Nor do not saw

the air too much with your hand,thus, but use all gently; for in thevery torrent, tempest, and, as Imay say, the whirlwind of pas-sion, you must acquire and begeta temperance that may give itsmoothness. … (Hamlet, III.ii.1-8 )

I t’s Saturday — one ofthose memorable autumndays where the warm air

is tinged with the crisp scentof fallen leaves. As hoards ofpeople crowd the Universityof San Diego campus for afootball game, a handful ofM.F.A. students head in theopposite direction toward

G r a d u a t e s t u d e n t A n t h o n y

v o n H a l l e ( l e f t ) p a u s e s f o r

a p e n s i v e m o m e n t a f t e r

r u n n i n g t h r o u g h s o m e l i n e s .

You know — everybody knows — that the campus

is gorgeous, but now you also know that Alice Hayes, who was

president for years and years, was herself a botanist, and that

she used to walk the grounds and inspect the plants after

Mass every Sunday. You know that she once noticed a fungus

on one of the trees and stopped to confer with the gardener

about the best way to treat it and that when she talks about

the campus, even now, she marvels at Mother Hill’s vision,

noting that usually people talk about starting with truth to

lead to beauty and wind up with good, but when it came to

the University of San Diego, she started with beauty, and that

has made all the difference.

And even though they may not notice (not like you do,

not all the time, anyway), the students can’t help but be

affected by the outrageous display of the Floss Silk Tree in

bloom, by the more sedate offerings of the roses, by the

patios’ cool havens of ferns and palms and flowering trees,

offering up not just prettiness, but respite from the world

and its worries, a place to sit, to think, to talk, to read, or to

just be, noticing that everywhere you look there is something

oh so pleasing to your eye. And you sigh, and you let your

eyes close, and for that moment, you are just there, being,

in the moment.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 2 3

[ v e r b ]

Garden Ais

Once you start noticing, it’s hard to stop. Now you

walk all the time with your head tilting this way and

that, eyes darting up and down, glancing from side

to side, craning your head, now way down low, next way up

high. Everywhere you look, there are buds and branches, pods

and blooms, tendrils and blossoms, stretching toward the sun,

doing their ancient dance of ebb and flow, renewal and rebirth,

world without end. And even though it was all there before —

in a manner of speaking, at least — now that you really see it,

you can’t not see it anymore.

You already knew, at least a little, about the history of the

place, about how Mother Rosalie Hill famously talked about

beauty and how that might be the first thing that attracted

people to the university. But now you know specifics. You know

that the elegant, towering cypress were deliberately placed

next to buildings for the pleasing contrast they provided

against the walls. And that the nuns would start palms from little

seeds in gallon cans, and now those palm trees tower above the

patio between Camino and Founders. You can picture them, dirt

beneath their fingernails, habits swirling as they moved with

great purpose through the dusty grounds of the College for

Women, carrying shovels, planting flowers, pruning roses, and

making sure that Mother Hill’s dream of beauty became a reality.

b y J u l e n e S n y d e r

p h o t o g r a h y b y B a r b a r a F e r g u s o n

U S D M AG A Z I N E2 4

We crowded around ourhost’s living room. Mydaughter, Ellen Willis-

Norton, opened her suitcase topull out her pajamas. Instead offinding anything to wear thatnight, she pulled out her calculusbook, sandals she’d bought inGreece, Hamlet, a simple dress Ihad bought for her in Paris, herset of Harry Potter books, abrightly colored green halterdress laced with silver sequinsfrom Belize and a copy of Windand the Willows. All the items a 17-year-old girl needs to surviveafter a fire evacuation.

When the Witch Creek Fireexploded on Oct. 22, Ellen wasalready up, studying. After hearinga report of fire evacuations on theradio, she woke us up to let usknow that Rancho Santa Fe wasbeing evacuated. As Solana Beachresidents, we knew that our evac-uation orders would soon follow.We also knew that Ellen’s horse,CJ, who was boarded at a Ranchobarn, could end up caught in themiddle of the fire.

This early morning announce-ment, although startling, came asno surprise. We’d seen the smokebillowing the day before, near LaJolla. And as former Rancho SantaFe fire chief, my husband, ErwinWillis, had been anticipating thisfire since the day he started workin “the Ranch” 15 years ago. Eventhough he’s been retired from thefire service for two years, Erwinjumped out of bed, pulled on hisclothes and ran out the door, as ifto slide down a firepole. He calledout that I needed to prepare thehouse and pack our belongings.

By 6 a.m., the phone startedringing. My dear friends, walkingpartners, USD colleagues and

book-group buddies began theirday checking in with us throughan impromptu phone network. It was a day that ended with a caravan of cars filled withteenagers, dogs, cats, photoalbums and overstuffed suitcasessearching for shelter.

By 10 a.m., I’d taped the vents inour attic, packed the car and calledErwin for evacuation instructions.He suggested we travel north tothe Carlsbad Costco parking lot,where smoke would be at a mini-mum. By noon, our group of threemoms, two dads, three teenagers,three dogs, two cats and sevencars was eating pizza and watch-ing the news feeds in the Costcoelectronics section.

It was at Costco that we decid-ed not to break up our “team,”despite any other offers. Andalmost immediately, calls camefrom the USD community withoffers to house my family. Butbecause I couldn’t imagine drag-ging our caravan to homes thatwere already filled with evacuees,I had to politely decline severaloffers. Ultimately, we decided tohead for the Leisure Village retire-ment community in Oceanside tothe home of Lillian Westcott, ourneighbor’s 87-year-old mother.

Mrs. Westcott welcomed ourmenagerie with open arms. Lilliansoon became the star member ofour team, serving sandwiches,feeding dogs and cats, huggingnervous teenagers, finding towelsand blankets, and making multi-ple pots of coffee.

On our first night, some of usslept in beds, others on the floor.Neighbors who had previouslyonly shared dinner and a glass ofwine were soon sharing bedroomsand the occasional snore. Despite

the camaraderie, Monday nightwas tense. Practically every hour,we called Erwin to get a report.While TV news reports were excel-lent, Erwin’s field reports weremuch more graphic, making for a very long night.

For three or four hours, wewere all too aware that our horse,CJ, was surrounded by a wall offire. It wasn’t until Erwin calledfrom the horse’s stall at midnightthat we knew for sure that he wassafe. Throughout the evening, wegot reports about the high windsblowing the fire down EscondidoCreek, which ultimately feeds intoall of our backyards. All of us hadfriends or family that we couldnot contact via cell phone or land-line who lived even more directlyin the line of the firestorm.

Ellen eased our tension whenthat green-sequined halter dressfell from her suitcase. Then andthere, we decided to hold an evac-uees’party when it was all over. Theplan was that whoever still had ahouse would host the party andthat all party-goers would wear orbring the oddest item they’dpacked for the evacuation.

When I returned to work, USDProfessor Vidya Nadkarni com-mented that our group hadformed the “Witch Creek Sister-hood,” with Mrs. Lillian Westcott asthe president. All of us agreedthat this would be the name ofour community from that pointforward. While it hasn’t happenedyet, we can’t wait to get togetheragain. Only this time, there proba-bly won’t be any snoring.

Noelle Norton is a professor of polit-ical science and international rela-tions, as well as honors programdirector for USD.

THE WITCH CREEK SISTERHOODWhat do you call a caravan of evacuees made up of seven carsfilled with moms, dads, teens, dogs and cats? Community.P

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contributions are not forgotten.“We had excellent faculty.

They knew most of us weren’twell-educated in the lowergrades, and they took time withus and they explained things wecouldn’t figure out,” Bowmansays. “The faculty and the stu-dents were just one group. Wewere bonded together. Many ofus were married and trying tomake a living. It was a common

For the past 81 years, John Bowman ‘60 (M.A.‘73) has seldom experi-

enced a dull moment. For proof,just ask this well-spoken, well-read man about the details ofhis well-worn life.

Don’t be taken aback by hisdemeanor: He’s gruff, speaks hismind without a filter and thriveson making a lasting impressionon everyone he meets. He wasthe class clown in school anddidn’t finish 11th grade (“I was-n’t dumb, I just didn’t like it”),but he’s also lived most of hislife without really knowing hisparents, who died before heturned age 5. He’s a World War IIArmy Air Force veteran, butfreely admits he wasn’t a modelsoldier (“I had a big mouth”).

Bowman’s varied life experi-ences — some good, manymore bad — haven’t just shapedhim, they’ve served as tools toteach others. He cherishes his51-year marriage to wife Marionand being a good father to hisfour children. He is a cancer sur-vivor. Bowman’s 36-year teach-ing career consisted of stints atRamona and St. Augustine highschools and as a professor atPalomar College. He relishesseeing former students whofondly label him as their favoriteteacher when he taught Englishor drama or coached sports.

Another passion is his collegestudent experience from 1956 to1960. Even now, nearly 48 yearsafter receiving a bachelor’s

U S D M AG A Z I N E2 6

degree in English, San Diego’sCollege for Men holds a perma-nent place in his heart.

“The College for Men openedmy eyes to what was around me,what was available to me as ahuman being. I was bright, but Idid not realize what it could meanfor me until I got into that school,”says Bowman, who was 28 whenhe started at the institution thatlater merged with the San DiegoCollege for Women to becomethe University of San Diego.

Bowman gained admissioninto the institution based ontwo recommendations and theencouragement of Irving Parker,who was the College for Men’sdean of admissions. Parkeroffered Bowman a chance toattend college, but only if hekept his grades up. Bowmanfailed two classes his first semes-ter and Parker reminded him oftheir agreement. Parker, however,gave Bowman a second chancebecause of two A grades in Eng-lish and a B in American History.

“Had it not been for Dean Parker’s faith in me, I wouldperhaps be mired still in thatinfernal swamp of failures fruit-lessly seeking a means of escape,”says Bowman, who spoke at arecent memorial Mass insideFounders Chapel for Parker, whopassed away in November. “What-ever success I have enjoyed dur-ing those 51 years since that latesummer of 1956, I owe to theman we pray for today. IrvingParker was not only my benefac-

tor and teacher, but he was alsomy inspiration.”

Bowman, who took classes atSan Diego City College to buildacademic confidence, arrived onthe College for Men campus theyear the school fielded its firstfootball team. He still says heearned both his degrees from theSan Diego College for Men. It’s asource of pride. It’s his way toensure that the College for Men’s

NEVER A DULL MOMENTDecades after graduation, alum’s bondwith College for Men remains strong

by Ryan T. Blystone

[ i n s p i r a t i o n a l ]

A LU M N I U P DAT E

a job she continues to hold.The price tag on the project

was about $27 million for thefirst phase, with a total of $54million. The Diocese of SanBernardino encouraged the planners but couldn’t help thempay for it. The Jesuits applaudedthem, but couldn’t commitpriests to staff it.

“We just kept going, and everytime we ran into a wall, a doorwould open up,” Rover says. The school devised an Ignatianmodel that incorporated thestrengths of the Jesuit tradition,but would be staffed by layteachers. The Berger Foundationdonated a 96-acre parcel for thesite. Friends Kim (Purcell) McNul-ty ’83, and Ulrich McNulty ’86(J.D.) helped with fundraising.The school’s religious goods andchapel furnishings come fromGarson and Sons, run by PaulGarson ’86.

Fifty-one freshmen started class-es in the fall of 2006 and movedinto classrooms on campus in early2007. Xavier’s first graduation willtake place in the spring of 2010.Xavier’s future is bright, thanks tothe work of USD alumni.

need for all of us to get an edu-cation. Out of this group cameteachers, lawyers, judges andprofessional businessmen, andall of it came out of this littleschool located across the street.”

College for Men alumni areencouraged to stay connectedwith the university. Share yourstory by contacting AlumniRelations at (619) 260-4819. C

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2 7S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

DREAM COMES TRUEAlums create vibrant Catholic school communityby Barbara Davenport

[ v i s i o n a r i e s ]

W hen Xavier Prep, anew college prepara-tory high school serv-

ing Palm Desert and the Coachel-la Valley opened its doors lastyear, the area’s USD alumni couldnot only take pride, but a largechunk of the credit. At the centerof the nine-year effort to trans-form a wish into a vision — andthe vision into a vibrant schoolcommunity — stands Doeleen(Rizzo) Rover ’87.

In 1997, Catholic education inthe valley stopped at the eighthgrade. Although their only childwas still a toddler, Rover and hus-band Mike, also Class of ’87, want-ed a Catholic high school. Theyjoined a planning group. Thegroup’s vision was a first-classschool: rigorous academic curricu-lum, cutting-edge technology, astrong athletic program, a campusthat was beautiful as well as func-tional, and a commitment to Jesuitideals of service and social action.The school would serve 1,500 stu-dents and would admit any stu-dent who was motivated and aca-demically able, regardless of abilityto pay. Rover chaired the group,and then became board president,

Created by alumni for

students, the USD Alumni

Endowed Scholarship

Fund provides scholar-

ship aid in perpetuity for

deser ving and qualified

students at both the

graduate and undergrad-

uate level. The current

status of this year’s con-

tributions to the fund is

just over $50,000 of its

$75,000 goal. To learn

how to make a difference

in a student’s life and to

leave a legac y for those

who will follow, call

(619) 260-4819 or go to

http://alumni.sandiego.edu.

Construc tion has begun

on the new Student Life

Pavilion, a four-stor y,

50,000 square -foot space

for student learning and

engagement. The projec t

is the latest in a series

of major campus improve-

ments designed to en-

hance the USD student

experience. With an aim

toward advancing aca-

demic excellence and

creating community,

the new building will

include dining areas,

patios and plazas, a

roof top garden, and a

variety of co - curricular

student ser vices and

ac tivity centers. The

building is slated for

completion in September

2009 including renova-

tion of 25,000 square

feet of the adjacent Hahn

University Center. To

learn more, call (619)

260-7514 or contac t

Sandra Ciallella at

sciallella@sandiego.edu.

GIFTSA T W O R K

scholarships — as well as some fundsfor undergraduate dramatic pursuits— was the result of her commitmentto those dedicated enough to pursuethe theater as a vocation.

“It was my mother and my grand-mother who taught me that educa-tion is everything. I was the firstgrandchild to go to college and Irealized at the time that it was prettybig, but as I get older, I realize thateducation really is everything.”

In January, Shiley spoke at an eventcelebrating the successful conclusion of the $200 million Campaign for theUniversity of San Diego. She alsoannounced that she and Donald haddecided to give $1 million to benefitthe School of Leadership and Educa-tion Sciences and close the campaignin style. “Everything is about the stu-dents,”she said before an appreciativecrowd. “The true measure of this cam-paign is in how it impacts their lives.”

U S D M AG A Z I N E2 8

T here aren’t enough adjec-tives in the dictionary todescribe Darlene Marcos

Shiley’s irrepressible personality.Words like eloquent, funny, passion-ate, authentic and likable spring tomind, as does the simple fact thatthis is a woman who says what shemeans and means what she says.

The new chair of the Universityof San Diego’s board of trusteestakes her job very seriously. “Oneof the reasons we’re affiliated withUSD is that my husband, Donald,really likes the values-based edu-cation. I’ve been on the board for a long time, but even back then,ethics was an issue, especially forDonald. Not just ethics, but theCatholicism of the school.”

The couple shares a passion for philanthropy, and has given millions to projects like USD’s Don-ald P. Shiley Center for Science andTechnology, The Old Globe, UCSD’sShiley Eye Center and the Universi-ty of Portland. “There are just somethings that you do because they’reimportant, and they’re importantto you,”Shiley explains. She prefersto distribute donations across awide swath of organizations,although the couple’s major giftstend to benefit causes in educa-tion, science and the arts.

“We’re cutting across lines, and I like doing that. I don’t want to beknown as a donor to one particularplace. I think organizations shouldwork together. Everybody with anidea doesn’t need their own organ-ization. Everybody doesn’t get tobe CEO of their own non-profit.”

Throughout her life, Shiley hasrecognized the importance of

making a difference. She grew upin modest circumstances in North-ern California, but her mother andgrandmother encouraged her:“They told me that just becauseyou’re poor, it doesn’t mean youcan’t be helpful to others.” She stillvividly recalls serving as a candy-striper and feeding a soldier in aniron lung his dinner. “It made suchan impression on me. He had totell me what size to cut the foodso it would be all right for him. Itwas a wild mixture of discomfortand joy to know that I was reallydoing something.”

After graduating from San JoseState University with a degree in theater arts and humanities, Shiley was cast in a number ofleading parts at various repertorycompanies; among her favoriteroles were Guineviere in Camelotand Eleanor of Aquitaine in TheLion in Winter. It was after a per-formance of the latter that shefirst met Donald, who’d invented a new, state-of-the-art “tiltingdisc” style of artificial heart valve.

“He came up with a mutualfriend to see me in Berkeley, andwe went out to dinner afterwards,”she recalls. “We were just talkingand having a lovely evening at thislong, after-show dinner.” She paus-es, her eyes faraway. “I let himdrive my car that night; he was thefirst person I’d ever allowed todrive my car. It was my pride andjoy, a Karman Ghia. Then he wait-ed six months to ask me out.”

Shiley laughs, then continues.“I asked him after we had beenmarried for a little while why hehad waited for so long. He said he

was afraid. I said, ‘Afraid of what?’He said, ‘I was afraid you’d say no.’I said, ‘You idiot! We could havehad another six months together!’When he finally did call, we justweren’t ever apart after that.”

Now married for nearly 30 years,the couple’s partnership has been a true love story. “I haven’thad a good marriage, I’ve had aspectacular marriage,” she says,and confesses that for years thecouple celebrated their anniver-sary every month. “Friends justthought we were insane.”

Donald’s intense interest in science, along with Darlene’s passion for the arts, have definitelyinfluenced their gifts to the univer-sity. The Donald P. Shiley Center forScience and Technology cameabout because of their $10 milliongift, and a $1 million endowmentfor two USD Master of Fine Arts

MEET MADAME CHAIR D a r l e n e M a r c o s S h i l e y t a k e s t h e h e l m by Julene Snyder

[ l i f e ’ s w o r k ]

C A M PA I G N CO R N E R

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The future is always beginning now.

Generous donors have given us millions of reasons to celebrate. The completion of the $200 million Campaign for the University of San Diego is a major milestone.

We know that every dollar given is an investment made by our donors to the future of the university, to our community, and the world.

We asked for your support to further our mission. You responded.

Now it’s our turn to do what we do best: Turn our graduates loose, stand back and watch them change the world.

www.sandiego.edu

U S D M AG A Z I N E3 0

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ing with her demeanor. The onlyart on the wall is an abstractpiece, all swirls of pink, greenand yellow — an original paint-ing by daughter Madison, whosometimes visits the office.

“I want her to know about allthis stuff — what mommy’sdoing, why I’m doing it, why it’simportant,” Myers says. Sherecently took her daughter to anevent by Women for Obama, agroup Myers leads.

“It was her first political event.She got to hear people speaking.It’s was important for her. Mymother did the same thing forme,” Myers says. That involvementobviously had an impact; one ofMyers’ two sisters is Dee DeeMyers, former President Clinton’sfirst press secretary.

Myers, who earned an under-graduate degree in business fromUSD in 1982, loved her time oncampus. “Honestly, when I left USDit took me about a year to get overnot being there,”she recalls. While astudent, she put her characteristicenergy to good use, running foroffice and co-founding the AlcaláWomen’s Club — a precursor totoday’s Alcalá Club — to providehostesses for the president of theuniversity’s events and foster busi-ness contacts for the students.

She and Dee Dee both workedon the Mondale-Ferraro cam-paign; it was there that Myerswas bitten by the political bug.

“You get into that world. I justalways think that politics is a real-ly fascinating place to be,” Myerssays. “My time in the WhiteHouse was probably the highestprivilege (of my life), to really bein a place where you can makesuch a difference in the lives ofso many people.”

3 1S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

t was the ultimate start-up,and Betsy Myers was the perfect person for the job. She’d spent the recent years of

her career either planning strate-gies for new organizations or refo-cusing those that needed it. Whenthe presidential campaign of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama camecalling in early 2007, Myers took a meeting with the charismaticpresidential hopeful.

“I basically turned my lifeupside down and moved withinabout two weeks,” she says. Aschief operating officer, she com-muted between Virginia andChicago until husband Rob Kellerand their 5-year-old daughtermade the move. Myers overseesthe campaign’s day-to-day oper-ations, from hiring employeesand equipping their work envi-ronment to supervising the cam-paign’s budget and handlingtravel logistics.

“I love start-up projects,” Myersexudes. “I’m very good at puttingteams together. For me as a COO,what a challenge to be able tocome in and be a part of some-thing that was really historic.”

But she’s been in that rolebefore, too. Myers started thefirst White House Office forWomen’s Initiatives and Outreach,serving as President Bill Clinton’sdeputy assistant and director ofwomen’s initiatives. Before joiningthe Obama campaign, she was the executive director of the Center for Public Leaadership atHarvard University.

High-powered challenges suitMyers, who radiates confidentenergy. She talks quickly, butevery word is well thought-out.Her glassed-in office in down-town Chicago is inviting, in keep-

I

POLITICS, AS USUALOverseeing day-to-day operations of

Barack Obama is a perfect fit for Betsy Myers

by Kelly Knufken

[ g r e a t e r g o o d ]

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the other half (winter months) in Paradise, Calif. He spends his freetime fishing, golfing and traveling,and he ministers as a deacon as timeallows. “Feel free to call,” he says.

[ 1 9 6 4 ]DELLE WILLETT STATTIN (B.A.)is very busy as director of marketingfor the San Diego Natural HistoryMuseum. Delle is marketing the mostcomprehensive exhibition of theDead Sea Scrolls and related antiqui-ties and manuscripts ever assembled.

ANNE WHITLOCK (B.A.) retired in1993 and teaches a French readingclass in the Mission Valley Macy’s storethrough O.A.S.I.S., an organization thatprovides classes for mature adults.

[ 1 9 6 5 ]KATHY (STEVES) MCDONNELL(B.A.) travels, golfs and enjoys her10 grandchildren. Kathy and her husband, Mike, have four children,three of whom are married. Mike stillhas his law practice of 40 years andenjoys off-road racing with their sonsand son-in-law.

MARY (SCHOEN) NAZZARO(B.A.) works in special educationand especially enjoys working withchildren with autism, their familiesand other team members. “It is exciting that USD has the AutismInstitute and that Dr. Anne M. Donnellan, an outstanding leader in the field, heads it,” she says.

DENNIS WICK (B.A.) retired after37 years of developing and directingprograms for mentally challengedyoung adults at Antelope Valley Col-lege. He is still directing the localSpecial Olympics after 30 years. Den-nis received the annual Access Awardfrom L.A. County for outstandingcontributions to disabled students.

[ 1 9 6 6 ]MARGARET (BAKER) MAR-TINEAU (B.A.) has been a schoolpsychologist, and marriage and familytherapist for 27 years. Margaret, whohas two sons, two daughters andeight grandchildren, enjoys hiking,swimming and traveling.

[ 1 9 6 8 ]CAROL (ROSSI) FRITZ (B.A.)retired from teaching at St. Raphael’sSchool in Santa Barbara in June 2006.She was a teacher there for 17 years,and also held positions as vice princi-

when her children were older. Sheworked as a probation officer and asocial worker, and spent 24 years asan insurance fraud investigator. Mostrecently, she served on the SantaClara County civil grand jury. Patriciahas three grown children. “They fre-quently spend time in Spain visitingfamily on their dad’s side (JoaquinDuran ’61),” she says. “I am thriceblessed!”

[ 1 9 6 2 ]MICHAEL MARQUES (B.A.) is inhis 33rd year as sports coordinator atOur Lady of Mount Carmel in San Ysidro.

ERMILA “MILLIE” RODRIGUEZ(B.A.) is a substitute teacher at PaloVerde Valley High School in Blythe,Calif. In 1991, she retired from her posi-tion as a foreign service officer withthe U.S. Department of State. Millie isactive in local politics and is presidentof the Blythe Chamber of Commerce.

PEGGY (D’AGOSTINO) THOMP-SON (B.A.) retired after 40 years ofteaching elementary school music,but was called back due to a teachershortage in Las Vegas. She taught forthree more years and retired a sec-ond time. Peggy is now a consultantfor Clark County Schools, mentoring38 new music teachers. Peggyreports that the area Catholic church-es are also full. She is the weddingcoordinator at her parish, St. Joseph,which serves 10,000 families. Peggyand her husband, Don, have fivegrandchildren. “We love to travel,” shewrites, “and all of this keeps us quitebusy. My sister, Sandy (D'Agostino)Wilimek, and I are active with LasVegas USD alumni.”

[ 1 9 6 3 ]MARILYN (QUALIATO) JACANIN(B.A.) retired after 21 years at theWhite House. “What a wonderfulcareer I had covering four presidents— Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clintonand the current Bush — as deputydirector for operations in the PhotoOffice,” she reports. “I’ve traveled allover the world, even on Air ForceOne.” Marilyn’s youngest son, Joe, is aforeign service officer in Shanghai.Today, Marilyn enjoys her 2-year-oldChinese grandson, adopted by Joeand his wife, and her twin grandsons,16 months old. See profile on page 34.

GARY ZELLMER (B.B.A.) retiredin 1998 and lives half the year (sum-mer months) in Sequim, Wash., and

[ 1 9 5 3 ]TERRY (TRUITT) WHITCOMB(B.A.) was re-elected for a secondterm to the executive committee ofthe San Diego Museum of Art. Shealso serves on the policy committeeand chairs the acquisitions commit-tee. In May, Terry was invited to the400th anniversary of the Jamestown,Va., settlement. Terry is a directdescendent of a resident of thecolony, the first permanent Englishsettlement in America.

[ 1 9 5 8 ]NADINE (TREVORS) THOMAS(B.A.) has worked at EdenGardens,an assisted living home in SouthCarolina, for six years. Her son,Michael Trevors, has a restaurant and catering service in Poulsbo,Wash. “In my free time, I enjoy travel-ing and have been on many cruisesand tours with my aunt over the pasteight years: Ireland, Spain, Italy, Por-tugal, Morocco, the Panama Canaland the Caribbean,” she writes. “Mytime at USD is still one of my favoritememories. I attended my 50th highschool reunion in Coronado in 2004.It was a wonderful experience, and Ienjoyed touring USD during my stay.”

[ 1 9 6 0 ]JONI (KREJSA) TIERNAN (B.A.)and her husband, Thomas ’60, are celebrating their 45th weddinganniversary this year. They have fivechildren and eight grandchildren.“Our retirement has been filled withtravel, enjoying our grandchildrenand, in general, simply enjoying lifewith all of its blessings and chal-lenges,” she says. Joni and Thomaslive in Redlands, Calif., and reportthat many of the town’s high schoolgraduates go to USD, where theypraise their university experience.“For us, as very early graduates of the College for Men and College forWomen, to know that the vision andgood work started ... by BishopBuddy and Mother Rosalie Hill con-tinues to this day is most gratifying!”Joni says.

[ 1 9 6 1 ]PATRICIA FLYNN (B.A.) re-entered the job market in San Jose

pal and religion coordinator. Carol andher husband, Paul, live in Santa Bar-bara, where she joined the board ofthe Santa Barbara Council of the U.S.Navy League. She also is involved withOperation Interdependence, anorganization that coordinates civiliansupport of deployed troops. Carol andPaul’s daughter, Kate, graduated fromUSD in 1999, and their son, Steven,graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in June.

ANTHONY GHIRONI (B.A.)teaches seventh grade science at SanDiego’s Francis Parker School, wherehe has been a teacher for 38 years.Early in his career, he coached foot-ball and other sports in addition tohis teaching duties.

[ 1 9 6 9 ]MICHAEL HUMPHREY (B.A.)retired for the second time from a six-year position as principal at St. Michael Academy in San Diego. He was in education for 38 years as a teacher, special educator and principal. He says he hopes to teach and supervise in the administrativepreparation program at USD, andplay a lot more golf.

[ 1 9 7 1 ]CORINNE (DOLLEY) HELENA(B.A.) is a clinical program consult-ant with Well Point Behavioral Health.She also writes, “I am a grandmotherand enjoying every minute of it.”

MARK MURPHY (B.S.) is anorthopedic surgeon at the V.A. SanDiego Medical Center and an associ-ate clinical professor of orthopedicsurgery at the UCSD School ofMedicine. He spent 22 years in activeduty in the U.S. Navy and retired as acaptain in 2002.

LAURIE (VASQUEZ) WOR-THINGTON (B.A.) has been teach-ing world history at Coronado HighSchool for 15 years.

[ 1 9 7 2 ]THOMAS SCHARF (M.A.) retiredfrom his position as editor and publi-cations director for the ZoologicalSociety of San Diego in 2006, and hemoved to a farm in northern Wash-ington state. “The best thing I learned at USD is that education

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is president of Fort Construction Con-sulting in Palm Desert, Calif.

KAREN KOCH (B.A.) lives in ChulaVista and teaches at Julian CharterSchool’s San Diego Academy. Karenteaches several subjects: middleschool math, English and social stud-ies; and high school world and Amer-ican literature.

BETSY MYERS (B.B.A.) temporar-ily moved to Chicago in January 2007to work for the Barack Obama presi-dential campaign. As chief operatingofficer of Obama for America, Betsy isresponsible for the day-to-day opera-tions of the campaign. See profile onpage 30.

MARK OEMCKE (B.B.A.) and hiswife, Sue, enjoy watching their twooldest daughters, Chelsea, 17, andRachel, 15, play volleyball and theiryoungest daughter, Camille, 10, playsoccer. Mark reports that Sue playsgreat tennis and excels at organizingthe girls’ activities and the family ingeneral. “Like many USD families, weseek balance in academics, spirituality,sports and personal growth,” he writes.

[ 1 9 8 3 ]CARA (CHISLETTE) HARTNETT(B.A.) still lives in Atlanta with herhusband, David, and their four sons.The family has taken on Cara’s love oftraveling and just returned from twoweeks in China. “When the childrenwere younger, we did the easier tripsto Europe,” Cara writes, and says theyare ready to experience more chal-lenging cultures. “We’re on our wayto Egypt next!”

[ 1 9 8 4 ]STEVE DOYLE (J.D.) is presidentof the San Diego/Riverside division ofBrookfield Homes. He was inductedinto the California Building IndustryFoundation Hall of Fame at a May 2007ceremony in San Francisco. During his29 years in the building industry, Stevehas served as president of the Califor-nia Building Industry and the BuildingIndustry Association of San Diego. Heis chairman of the Pacific CoastBuilders Conference. Steve also hascontributed to many civic, social andphilanthropic organizations.

CAROL (HOWARD) LELAND(B.A.) earned a master’s degree ingeography and regional planning fromthe California University of Pennsylva-nia in 1999 and retired from the Air

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never stops, no matter how old youget,” he writes. “It’s what keeps lifeinteresting.”

[ 1 9 7 3 ]COLIN STILLWAGEN (B.S.) is ahome loan consultant and has a realestate brokerage for residential/com-mercial properties and businesses.

CRAIG WALKER (J.D.) was recent-ly appointed acting administrator ofthe Department of Economic SecurityRisk Management Administration forthe state of Arizona. Previously, hewas an administrative law judge han-dling unemployment appeals. Craighas two sons and one grandchild. Hisson Scott graduated from USD in2003 with a degree in history and isnow working toward a doctorate in history at Arizona State University.His son Mike works at Honeywell inPhoenix.

[ 1 9 7 4 ]JOSEPH GIBBS (B.A.) owns a civillitigation law firm, specializing in realestate, business, commercial, corpo-rate and employment law. He and hiswife, Karen, who attended USD from1973 to 1975, have three children:Joe Jr., a 2006 USD graduate; Katie, a graduate of the University of Califor-nia, Santa Barbara; and Brad, a UCSBstudent. Joseph has enjoyed living inthe Coachella Valley area for 30 years.He reports that he would like to spendall of his free time with his wife at theirranch in Santa Ynez, Calif.

[ 1 9 7 6 ]ALICE (RODRIGUEZ) GONZA-LEZ (B.S., M.B.A. ’86) enjoyedpower walking and biking at MissionBay every day last summer. “I’m luckyenough to have grown up in Claire-mont, and I still live in Clairemont, 10 minutes from the bay,” she writes.She is in her third year teaching thirdgrade at St. Martin of Tours Academyin La Mesa, Calif.

JOYCE (WEIGEL) KLEIFIELD(B.S.) retired from the insuranceindustry in 1991 and became a stay-at-home mom. She raised three childrenand was very involved in Los Angelespublic schools. In 2004 Joyce wasnamed part-time administrative manager for the local neighborhoodcouncil, and she recently was hired asdirector of development for FairfaxHigh School. She and her husband,Steven, a Los Angeles superior courtjudge, have been married for 24 years.

JIM STANT (M.A., M.Ed. ’78)retired in 2005 after 29 years as a secondary teacher in the OceansideUnified School District. He is currentlycommissioner for the North CountyConference in San Diego County.

[ 1 9 7 7 ]MICHAEL COSTANZO (B.A.)teaches 30 special needs students inmiddle school. He also coaches highschool football and track, and he’s astudent council adviser. Michael andhis wife, Mary, celebrated their 25thanniversary in 2006. They have fourgrown children and two grandchildren.

[ 1 9 7 8 ]JANICE MULLIGAN (B.A., J.D.’81) is the chair of the Medical Pro-fessional Liability Standing Commit-tee for the American Bar Associationand president of the San Diego Inn of Court. Janice’s husband, HarveyBerger, is a 1982 graduate of USD’sSchool of Law and their daughter,Vanessa Berger, is a student at USD.

MAUREEN (DONNELLY) RYMER(B.A.) has taught physics and chem-istry at Sweetwater High School for24 years. She has been married for 31years to her high school sweetheart,David, and they have three children.Maureen is also a cantor at St. Pius XChurch in Chula Vista.

[ 1 9 7 9 ]KRIS SORENSON (B.A., B.A.’81) was ordained as a deacon in theDiocese of Fresno, Calif., in June 2007.

[ 1 9 8 0 ]NICHOLAS KRALL (B.A.) is onthe boards of the Chamber of Com-merce in Sylmar, Calif., and the Univer-sal City/North Hollywood Chamber ofCommerce. He is chair of the land usecommittee for the Sylmar Neighbor-hood Council and co-chair of the ACSSylmar Relay for Life event.

CATHERINE (HOPKINS)SCHAFER (B.S.N.) visited Panamain March 2007 with her daughtersand their husbands. Catherine livedin the former Panama Canal Zonefrom 1938 to 1964. She also expectedto attend the 400th anniversary ofJamestown, Va., America’s first per-manent English settlement.

[ 1 9 8 1 ]SCOTT GETTY (B.B.A.) is thefather of six children and vice presi-dent of Gateway Packaging Corp. inMurrysville, Pa. He has been in thepackaging industry for 26 years andis a member of the Association ofIndependent Corrugated Converters.

PATRICIA RAE HUNTER (B.S.N.)has owned Government RelationsGroup for the last four years. The com-pany provides lobbying and consult-ing services for individuals or compa-nies trying to navigate through stategovernment. Patricia also has servedas a governor’s appointee for morethan 18 years and in the state legisla-ture for nearly four years.

[ 1 9 8 2 ]SCOTT BROWN (B.B.A.) and hiswife, Susan ’85, recently celebratedtheir 21st wedding anniversary.They live in Centennial, Colo., andhave five children, ages 7 to 19.Scott is president and CEO of Medi-Dyn, a hospital support manage-ment firm with 1,100 employees.Susan is adept at managing a homeof seven people and is heavilyinvolved in charitable activities.

KEVIN COLEMAN (B.B.A.) hastransitioned from practicing law topracticing mediation and says heenjoys helping people settle theirlawsuits. Kevin’s wife, Lori, is the chieffinancial officer for Grace Cathedral inSan Francisco. Kevin reports that theirson, Jake, is an excellent student andathlete, and spent a month last sum-mer in Israel with 120 other JewishBay Area teens. He says their daugh-ter, Jamie, is also a great student anda burgeoning golfer, and she becamea bat mitzvah in August 2007.

TERRIE DIERLAM (B.A.) reportsthat she stays at home with her 3-year-old daughter and they enjoymother-daughter activities, spendingtime with extended family, and goingon family vacations with husbandand dad, Randall. Terrie is also takingclasses in real estate at the Universityof California, San Diego.

KENNETH FORT (B.B.A.) andRhonda (Korcha) ’82 have four chil-dren: Brad, a senior at California StateUniversity, San Marcos; Derrick, afreshman at CSUSM; Whitney, whowould like to attend USD in 2008;and Natalie, who wants to attendNew York University in 2010. Kenneth

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fter 21 years of schedul-ing photographers tocover every official event

of four U.S. presidents, Marilyn(Qualiato) Jacanin ’63 (B.A.)finally became the subject in thelens herself. A friend document-ed Jacanin’s last hours in theWest Wing and, as twilight gath-ered, she captured Jacanin pass-ing through the gate into her retirement.

“It was emotional because onceyou go out, it’s never the same,”says Jacanin, who keeps thatframed image from 2005 on herdresser. “You can come back as aguest, but once you lose yourpass, then you’ve lost your privi-leges of being on the compound.”

As deputy director for opera-tions in the White House PhotoOffice, Jacanin worked with thephoto director, four photogra-

phers and two editors. The officechronicles the activities of thepresident and first lady, as well as the vice president and his wife,for news stories, press releases,presidential mementos and theNational Archives. Jacanin served four presidents — RonaldReagan, George H. W. Bush, BillClinton and George W. Bush.

Jacanin was on the short list ofstaffers who received the presi-

dent’s detailed daily schedule,and very few doors were closedto her. The Oval Office, Air ForceOne and the famed West Wing allbecame her front office andworkroom. Historic events andworld leaders were a part ofJacanin’s working day. Hers was a behind-the-scenes job in a privileged arena.

It was also a job she neverexpected to have. In 1984,

SWEET SPOT IN THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICEDocumenting the comings and goings of four Commanders in Chief was all in a day’s work for alumna with a behind-the -scenes job in the White Houseby Trisha J. Ratledge

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Jacanin was a homemakerraising two sons while herhusband, a career naval avia-tor, worked at the Pentagon.She volunteered on RonaldReagan’s re-election cam-paign and when he won, sheapplied for one of the WhiteHouse openings. Jacaninwas hired into the PhotoOffice, and quickly discov-ered she had a sweet spot inthe administration.

“Our office was very popu-lar because we had whateverybody wanted, a picturewith the president,” she says.

It didn’t take long forJacanin’s passport — alreadywell-worn by travels to meether husband in their newly-wed years — to becomedownright dog-eared.

“I’ve been to Russia, Korea,Australia, almost every coun-try in Western Europe, Japan,India, Africa,” she says. “I didthe most traveling with theClinton administration. He was very international.”

The travel came with itschallenges: critically shortdeadlines, establishing photolabs on the fly in foreign coun-tries and long days with fewbreaks. But the perks werememorable, from staying infive-star hotels to shoppingfor the finest goods in a show-case assembled by eachnation’s first lady.

When Jacanin graduatedfrom USD, she never imagineda career in the West Wing, andshe considers her experiencean important lesson for all.

“I majored in sociologyand minored in education,”says Jacanin, who taught forfive years after college. “Myadvice is to learn as much asyou can about dealing withpeople and have a good atti-tude, because you don’tknow where life is going totake you. I never thought Iwould be at the White House.You just never know.”

Force Reserve in 2006. She planned toattend pharmacy technician schoolstarting in the fall of 2007.

TATIANA (JIMENEZ) MONT-GOMERY (B.A.) opened FitnessCui-sine in Hollywood, Fla., in September2006. “We help our clients stay healthyand fit through exercise classes, nutri-tion seminars, sculpting and toningclasses, and light gourmet meals deliv-ered to their doorstep,” she writes.Tatiana is working hard and says sheloves having her own business.

MICHAEL NELSON (B.A.) andMaria Cristina Martinez ’94 havethree boys: Taylor, 8; Skylar, 6; andWalker, 2. Michael is a fire captain for the city of San Diego, and Maria is a kindergarten teacher in the ChulaVista Elementary School District.Michael also coaches the boys inbaseball and soccer.

DEBORA ORTEGA (B.A.) is thedirector of the Latino Center for Com-munity Engagement and Scholarshipat the University of Denver. She alsois the author of numerous articlesand book chapters addressing issuesof child welfare.

MICHAEL WEHAN (B.B.A.) andJulianne (Douglass) ’85 have six chil-dren ranging in age from 8 to 15.Their oldest will soon be studyingarchitecture and playing soccer at Cal Poly Pomona. Michael andJulianne report that they are busyrunning their landscape constructioncompany and chauffeuring their kidsto their many sports events.

[ 1 9 8 5 ]JOANNE ANDREOLI-CISNEROS(B.A.) and Michael Cisneros ’86 livein Round Rock, Texas, with their twochildren: Brianne, 16, and Mikayla, 12.Michael writes and edits for softballmagazines and Web sites. Joannewas promoted to division administra-tor of the Texas field office for theFederal Motor Carrier Safety Adminis-tration. Joanne and Michael havebeen married for 21 years.

W. PATRICK FIXSEN (B.A.) wasordained to the priesthood in theDiocese of Peoria, Ill., on May 26,2007. His first assignment is as anassistant at St. Joseph’s Parish inPekin, Ill.

ANGELA GIGLITTO (B.A.) cele-brated her 20th year of teaching

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ALLISON (BAILEY) LYNCH(B.A.) and her husband, Lance,enjoy raising their three beautifuldaughters. Allison earned a master’sdegree in public administration, andshe continues as the assistant direc-tor of the Rehabilitation ServicesCommission for the state of Ohio.

PETER MURPHY (B.B.A.) and hisfamily returned home to Tempe, Ariz.,after living in Australia for four years.He and his wife, Wendy, are raisingfive children: Ryan, 15; Parker, 12;Maegan, 10; Emma, 8; and Keean, 5.The family enjoys frequent trips backto San Diego.

HILARY NOSKIN (B.A.) is an intellectual property attorney inAlbuquerque, N.M. She recentlypassed the patent bar exam.

VICTORIA (BIAGIOTTI) WISE(B.B.A.) and her husband, Robert’87, welcomed a son on Oct. 7, 2006.This happy event took place thesame day as Victoria’s 20th classreunion, so she was unable to attend!

[ 1 9 8 7 ]GREGORY TAVILL (J.D.) wasrecently appointed to the SuperiorCourt in San Bernardino County byGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. For theprevious eight years, he was a deputydistrict attorney in San Bernardino,including five years in the hardcoregang prosecution unit. He lives withhis wife, Joyce, and two children inRancho Cucamonga, Calif.

PAULA WARD (B.A.) has been asole practitioner for the last sevenyears, with an emphasis in tribal law.Her husband, Theron Fisher, plannedto open Antlers Grille and Pub inMichigan in September 2007. Theirfour children are active in hockey,volleyball and music, and the oldestis expected to graduate from collegein December.

DENISE (FERNANDEZ) WILKINS(B.B.A.) and her husband, Jesse,welcomed their first child, MorganHannah Leimomi, on Dec. 23, 2006,during the second of eight blizzardsthat winter in Denver. Denise andJesse also celebrated 10 years ofmarriage in October 2007.

[ 1 9 8 8 ]VIRGINIA (URBAN-MCCULLAGH) KIM (B.A.) writes,“Busy, not bored, describes my life!”

recently, with 19 of those years atOcean Beach Elementary in SanDiego. She is still performing flamen-co and is the artistic director at CaféSevilla. Angela also is pursuing amaster’s degree in performing andvisual arts. “I’m busier now thanever!” she says.

GAIL (KUEHNLE) HARGAS(B.S.N.) is an intensive care regis-tered nurse with Palomar PomeradoHealth in San Diego.

BARBARA (ELLIOTT) SANDERS(B.A., M.Ed. ’88) is a literary coachin the South Bay Union SchoolDistrict, where she works with kinder-garten through third-grade teachersand conducts monthly parent work-shops. She is an active volunteer inher community through OptimistInternational, the American CancerSociety (Relay for Life) and New HopeCommunity Church, where she par-ticipates in Tijuana mission trips andworks in the southern part of SanDiego County with single mothersand their children.

[ 1 9 8 6 ]JOHN FARLEY (B.B.A.) is a Boul-der, Colo., real estate agent, an eco-broker and a natural food chef whoalso teaches cooking classes. John is aresidential realty specialist and aninvestor of properties that are retrofit-ted to green building standards forresale. He and his wife, Karen, hike Boul-der’s many trails. “Happy trails,”he says.

SUSAN INFANTINO (B.A.) is thecommunications manager for the SanDiego Fire Department. She oversees911 dispatch and I.T. services, and she celebrated her 20th year with thedepartment in September. Her 22-year-old daughter graduated from theUniversity of Southern California and is now pursuing a master’s degree atGeorgetown University. In her freetime, Susan likes to travel, read andwalk. She expected to participate inthe three-day breast cancer walk inSan Diego in November 2007.

THERESA ANNE KONG KEE(B.B.A.) manages the investor edu-cation program statewide in Hawaii.In her position with the Departmentof Commerce and Consumer Affairs,she teaches the public about invest-ing wisely and about how to protectthemselves against investment fraudand scams. She also improves aware-ness for financial literacy.

She wrote her master’s thesis on alter-native sanitation and wastewater treat-ment in informal settlements andrefugee camps. Kristen received a Ful-bright Fellowship for 2007-08 to con-tinue this research in South Africa.

PATRICIA (LEE) MARINO (B.A.)and her husband, David, celebratedthe birth of their second baby, TateHuntley, on Feb. 4, 2005.

KELLY (ENGLAND) MCELWAIN(B.A.) loves being a stay-at-homemom to Taylor Anne, 5, and Kate, 3.“The girls keep me busy with school,playgroups and activities,” she says.She volunteers with the local balletcompany, where both girls dance,and at their schools. Kelly says thattravels keep her husband, Doug, busybut give the family a lot of frequentflier miles to visit family and friends.

CHRISTOPHER OLSEN (B.B.A.)just sold one company to focus on hisother, Botanica Gardens, a horticulturenursery and landscape design busi-ness in Little Rock, Ark. Christopherwas recently hired by Leisure Arts tobe the national host, and garden andhome expert for their new line ofDVDs. He also works for CBS, preparingweekly segments as the Garden Guru.

MELISSA ANN (BURKE)SARAGOSA (B.A., J.D. ’93)served five years of active duty withthe U.S. Air Force as a judge advocategeneral after law school. In 2000, shebegan working as a deputy districtattorney in Las Vegas. She and her hus-band, Mark, were married in Novem-ber 2000, and they have three children:Cole, 5; Shayne, 3; and Riley, 2. InDecember 2006, she was appointedby the Clark County Commissioner asa justice of the peace and has beenon the bench since January 2007.

[ 1 9 9 1 ]SOREN CHRISTENSEN (M.S.N.)retired on Jan. 1, 2007, from NavalHospital Bremerton in Washingtonstate after a 26-year Navy career. She and her husband, Jim, live in Silverdale, Wash.

CMDR. REUBEN FLOYD (B.B.A.,M.B.A. ’92) is the executive officerfor a fixed-wing developmental testsquadron based at Naval Air StationPatuxent River in Maryland. He andhis wife, Mona, are busy at home,chasing after their daughter, Leila,

born on March 23, 2005, and son,Jacob, born on Oct. 31, 2006.

ARNIE GARCIA (B.A.) and hiswife, Kristina, were blessed with theirfirst child on April 14, 2007. “We areeagerly waiting for her to grow a bit so she can begin wearing her pink Toreros outfit,” he says.

VERONICA (LUGO) MCKNIGHT(B.A.) and her husband, James, cele-brated the arrival of their first baby,Joel Samuel, on May 4, 2007.

CATHERINE (SMITH) OAKLEY(B.B.A.) and her husband, Paul, livein Colorado with their three sons:Andrew, 12; Zachary, 3; and Tyler, 1.Catherine is an at-home mom andsays the family enjoys many outdooractivities.

TED WACKER (J.D.) is a partner inthe law firm of Robinson, Calcagnie &Robinson in Newport Beach, Calif. He was part of the plaintiff’s trialteam that obtained a $51 million ver-dict against Merck in the nationalVioxx litigation in federal court inNew Orleans. He is also chair of theTop Gun Committee for the OrangeCounty Trial Lawyer’s Association,which raised more than $25,000 in2006 for the Down Syndrome Associ-ation of Orange County. He and hiswife, Erin (Kelley) ’92, have three chil-dren: Kelly, 8; John, 6; and Danny, 4.

LISA WANG (B.Acc.) and her hus-band, David, welcomed their thirdson, Jared, on Feb. 9, 2007. Heweighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces, andwas 21 inches long. Jared joins bigbrothers Jaxon and Jacob.

KIMBERLY (ALLARIO) ZIERMAN(B.A.) resigned from her position asa deputy attorney general with thestate of California in January 2007 tostay home with her two daughters:Bailey Carole, 3, and Addison Marie,17 months.

[ 1 9 9 2 ]MATTHEW BRENNAN (B.A.)works in the information technologyservices department at USD.

GINGER (EDDY) HALLACK(B.B.A.) is busy as a mom withthree girls, ages 6, 4 and 2. “Life iscrazy and fun!” she says. The familylives in Carlsbad, where Ginger’s hus-band, Michael, designs golf clubs forCallaway.

her husband, Jonathan. Gayle says shemisses the days of volleyball training,but still tries to get runs in duringlunchtime at the beach.

COLLEEN (KANALEY) PISCIOT-TA (B.A.) lives in Parker, Colo., withher husband, Dean ’89, and their fourchildren: Gordie, 15; Jacey, 13; Jack-son, 9; and Chloe, 8. Dean is busyrunning a family business, BrakesPlus, with stores in Colorado, Arizona,Wyoming and Texas. “Love to catchup with old buddies!” Colleen writes.

SUSAN TWOMEY WHITNEY(B.A.) and her husband, Christopher,have been married for 13 years and theyhave three sons: William, 6, and twinsborn in December 2006, Charles andAndrew. “Let the wild rumpus begin!”Susan writes. Susan and Christopherown and operate an award-winningremodeling company on the MontereyPeninsula in Northern California.

MARK WILLIAMS (B.B.A.) ishappy to be back in San Diego. “Six-teen years is a long time to be away!”he writes.

[ 1 9 9 0 ]PAUL ABBOTT (B.A.) is the ownerand mastering engineer at ZenMas-tering in Poway. Since 2000, Paul hasmastered music for artists in morethan 15 countries and 30 states.

KRISTINE (REUBA) BROWN(B.A.) lives in Roseville, Calif., withher husband, Stephen, and their chil-dren: Madeline, 7; Ethan, 5; Abigail, 4;and Alexander, 18 months.

KATHLEEN (DINGER) BURKE(B.B.A.) lives in Park City, Utah, withher “Aussie” husband, Douglas, andtheir two children: Samantha, 3, and“Sharkie,” 5. She juggles work, familylife and traveling. Kathleen says shewants to get back to San Diego for afamily holiday.

RACHAEL GERBIC (B.A.) is alicensed psychotherapist, and sheworks in international schools aroundthe globe. She lives in Ghana, WestAfrica, where she is a school counselor.

KRISTEN (BULKLEY)KORNIENKO (B.A.) earned a mas-ter’s degree in landscape architecture.

Her twins, Alex and Gabriel, turned 7 last July and are well-traveled,enjoying London, New York andocean cruises. Her husband, Charles,planned to celebrate his 50th birth-day by sailing down the mid-Atlanticcoast with childhood friends on a 36-foot sailboat. Older son Will is stillenjoying Los Angeles and the musicscene, and daughter Holly is lovingChicago. “I am thrilled to be an assis-tant principal at San Elijo MiddleSchool in North San Diego County,but love our downtown life and Victorian home circa 1904. Still working on the renovations!”

STERLING “DREW” PELOSO(B.B.A.) was named president andCEO of Quartermaster Inc. in Cerritos,Calif., on June 19, 2007. Quartermas-ter is a leading e-commerce, catalogand retail distributor of uniforms andequipment to the public safety mar-ket. Drew lives in San Clemente, Calif.,with his wife, Wendy, and their fourchildren: Cameron, 8; Isabelle, 5; Max-imillian, 2; and Domenica, 4 months.

[ 1 9 8 9 ]PATRICE (MOM) AMORE CAR-INGTON (B.B.A.) recently becamea board-certified hypnotherapist andadded that skill to her life-coachingservices.

JENNIFER (JACOBS) DEMING(B.A.) lives in one of the residenceswithin Presidio National Park in SanFrancisco with her husband, Sean, andtheir two sons, Liam, 5, and Owen, 3.Jennifer is at home and trying to keepup with her two busy boys and all oftheir activities. “All is well,” she writes.

JANE (HARKINS) DORN (B.A.)and her husband, Gregory, welcomeda son, Christian. “We now have fourwonderful children and are enjoyingthe beach life in Manhattan Beach,Calif.,” she writes. They meet up withalumni Chris and Angele Jester, whoshare a passion for sailing.

BRENDA (GABBY) GRIFFITH(B.A.) writes, “Still unschooling ourthree kids, 16, 13 and 11, but makingplenty of time to play the drums,bodyboard and go birding with Greg!”

GAYLE NEWMAN JARRETT(B.B.A.) is the director of merchan-dising for girls apparel and accessoriesat Volcom. She has a 6-year-old daugh-ter and she is renovating a mid-20thcentury home in Orange, Calif., with

U S D M AG A Z I N E3 6

1990s

STEVE KRAFT (B.B.A.) andSuzanne (Willis) ’94 are proud toannounce the birth of their son,Brady Patrick, on April 11, 2007. He joins big sister, Reagan, 4. Thefamily lives in Tucson, Ariz.

JACQUELINE (KAHN) PARIS(B.A.) and her husband, Joel, wereblessed with a daughter, KatarinaHelene, on Feb. 16, 2007. Jacquelineenjoys her new role as a stay-at-home mom.

AMY (GIORGIANNI) PSOMAS(B.B.A.) and her husband, Stephen’92, live in Danville, Calif., with theirthree kids: Emma, 8; Luke, 6; andKate, 4. Amy sells real estate in theEast Bay and Steve is a senior inter-face designer at Responsys in Red-wood City.

KRISTIN (INGRAO) RUDE (B.A.)is co-owner and director of FasTracKids,an education enrichment center forchildren from 6 months to 8 years old.

JOHN SIPES (B.A.) was named theexecutive officer of HSC-26 helicoptersquadron in Norfolk, Va., flying theMH-60S helicopter. He expects tobecome commander of the samesquadron in 2008.

MARY (HANDBERG) SORENSEN(B.A.) and her husband, Tim, areproud to announce the birth of their daughter, Annika Elise. She was born on Feb. 12, 2007, in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and weighed3 pounds, 7 ounces.

KELLI (AYRES) SULLIVAN (B.A.)lives in Maple Valley, Wash., with herhusband of seven years, Colin, and theirthree children: Karen, 6; Thomas, 2; andJoseph, 15 months. Kelli has been ajuvenile probation officer with theSuperior Court in Seattle for 10 years.

EMILY (SHOKOUH) VINDENI(B.B.A.) and her husband, Mario’92, both work at their family busi-ness, Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glen-dale as co-general managers. Theirdaughter, Sophia, 15, is a sophomoreat Immaculate Heart High School andtheir son, Anthony, 13, is a freshmanat Loyola High School. “We are veryproud of them!” she writes.

ELIZABETH (HILL) WEEBER(B.B.A.) is operations manager forThe Event Team, a destination man-agement company that plans meet-

ings and events in San Diego andSouthern California. “In October 2006I married my soul mate, Craig Wee-ber, a 1995 USD Law School alum,”she writes. “We were married atImmaculate Conception Church inOld Town, surrounded by close familyand friends.” Elizabeth and Craig livein the Carmel Valley area of SanDiego with their two cats, and theyenjoy weekend trips to Los Angelesand Santa Barbara.

[ 1 9 9 3 ]MISHELLE CRUZ-PATTYSCRAGG (B.A.) moved back to Arizona from Guam in June 2003. Shespent the summer of 2007 traveling toGuam and Hawaii and then taking aroad trip through Canada into Alaska.

KIMBERLY HEITMILLER DEBERZUNZA (B.A.) and her hus-band, Felipe, welcomed a daughter,Marisol Carolina, on April 19, 2006. Thiswas just one month before Kimberlyreceived her master’s degree in education from San Diego StateUniversity. Kimberly is in her ninth yearteaching elementary school in the SanDiego Unified School District. Felipeworks exclusively at Motoberzunza, hisown motorcycle service and repairbusiness. Their son, Erik, finishedkindergarten in the Language Acade-my French immersion program.

JOSHUA DESILVA (B.A.) and hiswife, Robyn, welcomed their secondchild, Zara, in 2006. They live on theisland of Maui, where Josh owns aspecial events company focusing oncorporate group events in Hawaii.

MIKE GERGEN (B.B.A.) and hiswife, Melanie, welcomed a daughter,Arden, on March 27, 2007. Ardenjoins big sister, Payton, 2.

HAYES MAURO (B.A.) finished hisPh.D. in art history in February 2007and is teaching at colleges in NewYork City.

LORI (SHACKELFORD) SCHI-MENTI (B.A.) lives in Washington,D.C., with her husband, Chris, and 2-year-old daughter, Jenna.

ANNE (POPPE) STEGEN (B.A.)and her husband, Sloane ’93, wel-comed a baby boy, Sawyer Aaron, on July 20, 2007. Sawyer joins a bigsister, Samantha, 3.

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JANN ROBERT STOECKL (B.A.)is a professional photographer inAspen, Colo. Some recent assignmentsincluded shooting 30 rolls of film heli-copter skiing in the Chugach Moun-tains in Alaska and shooting 80 rolls offilm scuba diving in Irian Jaya and theLembeh Straights in Indonesia.

KENNETH THIEL (B.A.) expandedThiel Development and is thefounder and president of Liquid Con-struction Services, which providesdesign-to-build general contractingservices to the commercial real estateindustry in Florida and theCaribbean.

[ 1 9 9 4 ]STACEY (MONNASTES) ALWAN(B.A.) moved to Danville, Calif.,three years ago with her husband,Chris, and their three boys: Hayden,5; Ben, 3; and Ryan, 15 months.

JOSEPH COMINS (B.B.A.) and hiswife, Theresa, have been married forseven years. Joseph was promoted topresident of Dedicated Delivery Profes-sionals in February 2006. The companyhas more than 70 drivers and annualrevenues exceeding $10 million.

MICHAEL FREEHILL (B.A.) andhis wife, Karein, have a 2-year-olddaughter, Elizabeth Grace. Michael isin an orthopedic surgery residency atJohns Hopkins in Baltimore.

JENNIFER (RAKERS) NINO(B.A., J.D. ’97) and her husband,Randall, were married in August2003. They welcomed their son inFebruary 2005. Jennifer is a medicalmalpractice defense attorney andRandall is a psychology professor.They live in San Diego, and they feelblessed to alternate child care andwork responsibilities so they can stayhome with Andrew.

GLORIA (ROJAS) SANCHEZ(B.A.) started her teaching career inJuly 2006 as a third-grade teacher atLos Altos Elementary School in SanDiego. She is in a master’s program inleadership at InterAmerican College.“I’m blessed to have God and myfamily with me,” she writes. “They arethe reason of my life!”

[ 1 9 9 5 ]BRENDA CHAVEZ-CASAS (B.A.,M.A. ’99) and her husband, Julio,welcomed their second child, Paola.

VERONICA (BOWDEN) DERSCH(B.A.) joined the Kansas AttorneyGeneral’s Office as a lawyer in thecriminal division on Jan. 8, 2007. She and her husband, Raymond, welcomed a daughter, Rosemary, on Feb. 15, 2007.

CHRIS DISHMAN (B.A.) wasnamed a finalist for a prestigious Service to America medal by the Part-nership for Public Service. Chris is apolicy analyst in the Office of SupplyReduction. He was nominated fordeveloping a new strategy and infor-mation system that enables federalgovernment agencies to target anddisrupt illegal drug trafficking net-works more effectively.

NICOLE (SUDER) DISILVESTRO(B.A.) moved to Chicago in 2002and was married in May 2006. She isvice president of client developmentfor Citigroup and welcomed a daugh-ter in June 2007. “So, I am now stayingat home for a while, enjoying everyminute of being a new mom to thisbeautiful little angel!” Nicole writes.

HEATHER IANNONE (B.A.) is awriter and just finished her first book,What One Can Do.

NICOLE IGIELSKI (B.A.) lives inSt. Paul, Minn., with her husband, ErikBenson, and their sons: Riley, 5, andKiernan, 2.

TIMOTHY LANG (B.A.) and hiswife, Ashley, welcomed twins, Auroraand Owen, on May 14, 2007. They livein Fort Collins, Colo., where Timothyis an atmospheric research scientistfor Colorado State University.

JENNIFER LARSON (B.A.) andMatt Montag are happy to announcetheir marriage on Feb. 24, 2007. Jen-nifer graduated from Gonzaga LawSchool in 1999. Following a judicialclerkship, she joined Johnson LawGroup in Spokane, Wash., where shespecializes in employment law, civillitigation and insurance defense.Matt is an engineer and surveyorwith RFK.

HEATHER (MILLER) MEDURE(B.A.), her husband, Paul, and theirdaughter, Ava, lived in Tokyo for a yearand a half before moving to Tennesseein 2007. Heather and Paul welcomed ason, Joseph Carlos, on June 20, 2007.He weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

U S D M AG A Z I N E3 8

a hobby that lets her learn moreand share her passion with others.It also lets her make contacts sheotherwise might not have made.

The locale for all this blogging is an apartment that befits a hipartist, with portraits she painted of friends hanging on her walls, amodel skeleton leg resting casual-ly in a corner, the bones of an armdraped around a plant on a table.Sitting at her drafting table withher tools of choice — a charcoalpencil and sketch pad, a laptop forblogging and refining illustrationsin Photoshop — Ruiz presents asoft-spoken, calming presence.

She cut her teeth with years ofscientific illustrations of the innerworkings of the Pacific tuna crab— “very tedious” — as sheearned her USD biology degree.Michel Boudrias, associate pro-fessor in the Marine & Environ-mental Studies Department, rec-ognized her artistic talent andasked if she’d given any thoughtto who drew the illustrations inher text books. She hadn’t.

“I actually have some of Vanes-sa’s artwork here on my desk,”Boudrias says now. “She is phe-nomenal, absolutely phenomenal.”

He put her in touch withanother former student in thefield, and Ruiz found her passion.

“It was hard to get informationon it, because there wasn’t muchon the Internet at all about it,”she says. Once settled in hermaster’s program, the blogbecame a way to help othersavoid the frustration she’d facedin trying to learn more about the esoteric field.

She’d love to become an artdirector after graduate school,maybe at a pharmaceutical adver-tising agency. For now, Ruiz takespride in the blog and enjoys theconnections it helps her forge.

“I’m still a grad student, not anexpert in the field,” Ruiz says. “Butit’s making people aware of ourprofession. It’s exciting.”

Read Vanessa Ruiz’s blog atwww.streetanatomy.com/blog.

he’s become something ofan ambassador for medicalillustrators, yet her career is

in its nascency.Vanessa Ruiz’s blog, dubbed

“Street Anatomy,” fills a voidwhen it comes to impartinginformation on her chosen pro-fession. In fact, it now attractssome 1,500 people a day, with390 regular subscribers, includingmedical illustrators and doctors.

“They love it because nobodyelse has done it yet,” says Ruiz, on

track to earn a master of sci-ence in biomedical visualizationin May from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Her blog may feature an inter-view with an artist or an interest-ing piece she’s seen. The intersec-tion of medical illustration and popculture — and especially advertis-ing — figures prominently.

Ruiz delights in — well,maybe delights isn’t quite theword — but takes interest inunusual X-rays, like one showing

a foot still clad for summer with a nail in it. (“Clearly the flip-flopcould not be removed for the X-ray. Despite the ouch factor, thisis a beautiful X-ray.”) Anotherentry highlights the work of anartist who envisioned what BugsBunny’s skeleton might look like,then created it. And her post onanatomical tattoos got a lot ofattention from online denizens.

It’s clear medical illustration is apassion. And the blog — “It’salways on my mind,” she says — is

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U N D E R N E AT H I T A L LM e d i c a l i l l u s t r a t i o n + p o p c u l t u r e = W e b l o gby Kelly Knufken

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DANIEL MONTGOMERY (B.Acc.)married Juliet Wolfe on June 1, 2007,in San Diego.

JOHN PARDUN (B.A.) and hiswife, Erika, welcomed their second sonin November 2006. John is an attorneyand general manager of practicedevelopment with an arbitration andmediation firm in Orange, Calif. TheParduns live in Laguna Beach.

CHRISTOPHER PARTA (B.A.)expects to graduate from law school inDecember 2007. His wife, Tiffany Tran-Parta ’97, teaches science at MeadowPark Middle School. Their son, Liam, is3 and loves trains and trucks.

HOLLY PROHASKA (B.A.) mar-ried Shawn Bauer on Nov. 4, 2006.Fellow alumna Shalla (Levra) Joneswas a bridesmaid. Holly received amaster’s degree in environmentalmanagement at the University of SanFrancisco in May 2000.

INGE (WRIGHT) TAYLOR(B.S.N.) reports that she is still busyworking as a certified nurse and mid-wife, but is also able to travel. Shewent to Hawaii in November 2006,London in April 2007 and expectedto take an Alaskan cruise in 2007. Shealso teaches in a registered nurseprogram at National University.

[ 1 9 9 6 ]JENNIFER BROBST (J.D.) is in aclinical tenure track position at NorthCarolina Central University School ofLaw. She is a faculty member and thelegal director of the Center for Childand Family Health in Durham, N.C.The center — a consortium of DukeUniversity, University of North Caroli-na at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University and the nonprofitChild and Parent Support Services —specializes in mental health andmedical services related to childrenand trauma.

ANALEE (NATIONS) BRODIE(J.D.) and her husband, Kyle, wel-comed a daughter, Fiona, on Oct. 25,2006. Fiona joins an older sister, Bridget, 3. Analee is a deputy attor-ney general (criminal appeals, writsand trials) in Los Angeles and Kyle isa superior court judge in SanBernardino County.

DAVID CONROY (B.A.) joinedJones Day in New York to help estab-lish a structured finance group focus-

er, Will, 4. Kathy is now a stay-at-homemom; the family lives in Rocklin, Calif.

ALICIA POTES (B.A.) was accept-ed into a general surgery residencyfor physician assistants at NorwalkHospital with Yale University. Shegraduated with an M.P.A.P. (master ofphysician assistant practice) from theUniversity of Southern California.

FAY (TINSAY) ROBERTS (B.A.)and her husband, Mark ’95, havethree children: Isaac, 4; Jordan, 2; and Natalia, 6 months. Fay says theyhave taken some mission trips withdoor-to-door evangelism in India,Costa Rica and Rwanda.

GERARD RODRIGUES (B.B.A.)and Sarah (Wolf ) ’99 were married in April 2007 in Maui with 50 familymembers and friends in attendance.Fellow alumni guests included Wesley Wolf, Marc Reyes, Phil Fong,Corle Huffman, Rob Tirsbier, JordanArmitage, Shaney Fink and Jill McAn-ear. Sarah works in the Office of Par-ent Relations at USD, and Gerry is inbusiness development for PCL Con-struction. “We enjoy time with familyand friends, and attending Torerosathletic events!” Sarah writes.

NICOLE SNYDER (B.A.) was elect-ed chair of the Idaho State Bar’s busi-ness and corporate law section.Nicole is a corporate and employ-ment attorney for Holland & Hart inBoise, Idaho. She is the Idaho repre-sentative for the Employment LawAlliance and a board member ofIdaho Women Lawyers.

BETHANY SUTTON (B.A.) is aresearch and development projectmanager, leading new products fromconception to market.

MENG-SHIUAN TSAI (B.B.A.,M.B.A. ’99) started a communityresource calendar business recently.She expected to send calendars to47,000 homes in Mira Mesa, ScrippsRanch and Poway.

CARL WILBERT (B.A.) and hiswife, Sarah, welcomed a son, LukeSutton, on March 28, 2007. Luke’s bigsister, Maddy, just turned 3.

LORRAINE (CAMP) WILSON(B.A.) lives in Carlsbad with her husband, Steve, and their two chil-dren, Gavyn, 6, and Rylee, 4. Lorrainetaught high school Spanish for

ing on collateralized debt obligationsand derivative products.

LAURA JULIANO (B.A.) is com-pleting her associate’s degree ingraphic design and working as a free-lance graphic designer and fine artist.

EILEEN (MCGREEVY) LOUGH-NANE (B.S.N.) graduated from USDat age 61 and works part time as anadvice/triage nurse. She is an Irishimmigrant, and a citizen of Ireland andthe United States. “This has been atremendous journey for me,” shewrites, “and I am grateful to USD forthe opportunity for further education.”

CHRISTOPHER LUNDY (B.A.)lives in Long Beach, Calif., and works forBeckman Coulter. Chris and his wife,Kathrine, welcomed their first child,Rhys Haaland, on Feb. 22, 2007. “Rhys isthe first of 12 children,”writes Chris.

VERONICA MEJIA-GUILLEN(B.B.A.) and her husband, SamuelGuillen, were married in 2000. Theirson, Alexander, was born on April 1,2005. Veronica writes, “Still working inreal estate, but as an owner with myhusband who’s a real estate broker.”

CAMERON PEACH (B.Acc.) andErika (Cooper) ’98 welcomed adaughter, Campbell Claire, on Nov.30, 2006. Campbell joins older broth-er, Cooper. The family lives in SanJose, Calif.

ROBERT RODRIGUEZ (B.Acc.)operates a business brokerage firm inLos Angeles.

MARIANA SALERNO (B.A.) is inher third year of an internal medicineresidency program at Cabrini MedicalCenter in New York City.

DABNE RAINE WHITEMORE(B.A.) is the program director for a $20 million hurricane recovery programfocused on the repair and restoration ofproperties and homes listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. OnJuly 12, 2007, Dabne and her husband,Dana, celebrated the arrival of a son,Jackson. “We are repopulating NewOrleans one baby at a time!”she writes.

[ 1 9 9 7 ]RICARDO ARAIZA (B.A.) finishedhis dissertation in the Ed.D. programat the University of La Verne and is an adjunct professor at ConcordiaUniversity.

JENNIFER (VARSAK) FARSIAN(B.A.) and her husband, Shirzad, weremarried at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.Alumni guests included Kristen(Kikuchi) Kennedy, Dale Amorosia andJennifer Babic. The couple honey-mooned in Hawaii. After graduation,Jennifer spent two years in Romaniawith the Peace Corps, worked at C-SPAN in Washington, D.C., and spentthe last five years in nonprofit manage-ment and fundraising in San Diego.

CAROLINE (VEATCH) FIERRO(B.A.) and her husband, Alfonso ’95,have two children: William, 2, andCaroline, born on May 11, 2007.

STEPHANIE (SAMPLE) JACQUES(B.A.) earned a master’s degree ineducation leadership from San DiegoState University and was namedTeacher of the Year for the AlpineUnion School District in 2007.

JILL (JACKSON) JONES (B.A.)and her husband, Jeff, welcomed ason, Dylan, in February 2007.

STEVEN LOCASCIO (B.A.) andhis wife, Michelle (Stoelker) ’97, live inAliso Viejo, Calif., with their 3-year-oldson, Brennan.

JENNIFER LOTTA (B.B.A.) isenjoying suburbia in upstate NewYork. She reports that she is a happyhomeowner and is getting used tothe endless projects inside and out.She still travels to Los Angeles fre-quently throughout the year to visitfamily and friends.

ANNE MARKERT-BREESCH(B.B.A.) and her husband, Niels, celebrated the arrival of a baby boyon May 24, 2007. Big brother, Willem,turned 3 in October.

LISETTE (SOUDANT) MORRIS(B.A.) and her husband, Christopher,welcomed a daughter, Ada, on March11, 2006. Six months after returningto work, Lisette was promoted todirector of client relations at TheGrow Network with McGraw-Hill. In her new position, Lisette overseesprofessional development, customersupport and program evaluation forall programs.

KATHY (NESS) PHELAN (B.A.)and her husband, Daven, welcomedtheir second child, Kate Mackenzie,on Aug. 21, 2006. She joins big broth-

several years before becoming a full-time at-home mom. In 2006 she start-ed Spanish for Kids in which she teach-es Spanish to children ages 1 to 11.“We are happy and healthy,” she says.

[ 1 9 9 8 ]MARY GRACE ALMANDREZ(B.A.) received the Promising Prac-tice in Student Affairs and AcademicAffairs Collaboration award from theNational Association of Student Per-sonnel Administrators for her inte-grated learning model. She enteredthe Ed.D. program in organizationand leadership at the University ofSan Francisco in the fall of 2007.

JOANNA (LEE) BRUSO (B.A.)and her husband, Paul ’96, welcomeda son, Matthew, on May 3, 2007.Matthew joins big brother, Patrick, 2.The family lives in San Francisco.

ANGELINA (MARQUEZ) CAGLE(B.A.) and her husband, John, cele-crated the birth of their first child,William, on June 22, 2007. Angelinareceived a master’s degree in libraryand information studies in August2007 from the University of NorthCarolina at Greensboro. The familylives in Hickory, N.C.

JOHN COKER (B.A.) completedthe instructor tour at NAS Pensacola.In December 2006 he returned froma nine-month tour in Iraq. Johnreceived the Bronze Star, the ArmyCommendation Medal and CombatAction Badge. In June 2007 hereported to the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleetstaff in Naples, Italy, accompaniedby his wife, Rhonda, and daughtersKatelyn, Courtney, Autumn and Ashley. John is pursuing a master’sdegree in international relationsthrough the University of Okla-homa’s outreach campus in Naples.

ERIN (BROMLEY) ESPINOZA(B.A.) pursued a master’s degree inhuman resources management aftergraduating from USD and worked forBank of America for six years. Shemarried her husband, Octavio, in2003, and they have a daughter,Maia, 2. “I am currently a stay-at-home mom and loving it!” she writes.

KATERI SANDEN GENTLES(B.A.) graduated from the Universityof California, Santa Barbara, with amaster’s degree in environmental sci-ence and management. She movedback to San Diego in 2005 and is an

environmental consultant. She mar-ried her husband in March 2007.

ABBY PARTA GOSSMAN(B.Acc.) and her husband, Jeramie,are happy to announce the birth oftheir son, Shannon Leighton, on May27, 2007. Abby and Jeramie havebeen married for three years and livein South St. Paul, Minn. Abby is a lob-byist for a biotechnology companyand Jeramie is the superintendent atSouthview Country Club.

WENDY (ANDERSON) INTRIERI(B.A.) and her husband, Dominick,welcomed a daughter, Faith Noelle,on Jan. 5, 2006, and a son, DrakeJoseph, on June 9, 2007. Drakeweighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, andwas 20 inches long. “He is doing verywell,” Wendy says. “His big sister loveshaving him around.”

RACHEL IRELAND (B.A.) and herhusband, Justin, have two boys andlive in San Diego. Rachel is a pediatri-cian with a specialty in developmen-tal-behavioral pediatrics. Justin is afirefighter/paramedic.

DARCY (FARRELL) LEWIS (B.A.)and her husband, Jon, welcomed ason, J.T., on June 15, 2007. J.T. joinsolder sister Claire. Darcy works parttime for the Huntington Beach CitySchool District.

JOSHUA PONGWATTANA (B.A.)moved to Bangkok, Thailand, in2003. Prior to this, he traveledbetween the United States and Thailand as a CIA applicant and part-time foreign relations officer for Forever Living Products. He nowworks full time for FLP and travelsthroughout the provinces givingmeetings and managing the foreigndistributors. He says he’s a big sup-porter of the Roman CatholicChurch in Thailand.

MARIA TAN (B.S.N.) left active-duty Navy service and transferred tothe Navy Reserve as a nurse corps offi-cer. Maria also has created TestanEnterprises, a company focusing onsenior residents and real estate invest-ment. “It is a new and exciting processfor me,” Maria says. “I welcome all thechallenges that come with this ven-ture, and I look forward to rising to the top of the business world.”

NAVEEN ZAIDI (B.A.) lives andworks in Manhattan in New York City.

She is an attorney practicing securitiesregulation at NYSE Regulation Inc.

[ 1 9 9 9 ]ANTHONY BERTOCCHINI(B.B.A.) and his wife, Allison ’00,welcomed a son, Charles Joseph, onFeb. 9, 2006.

KRISTINA SCHELBERT BROWN(M.A.) earned a doctorate in mar-riage and family therapy from SyracuseUniversity. She is married to R. TuckerBrown and they have a daughter, Tay-lor, 10, and son, Kyle, 8. The familyexpected to move to Springfield, Mo.,where Kristina accepted a position atthe Forest Institute of Professional Psy-chology as a faculty member in themarriage and family therapy depart-ment and project manager for Forest’sChild Welfare Reform Training Grant.

DANIELA REALI FERRARI (B.A.,J.D. ’02) and John Charles Ellis ’03were married at Founders Chapel onJune 9, 2007. Daniela is a deputypublic defender in the juvenile delin-quency division of the San DiegoOffice of the Public Defender. John isa trial attorney for Federal Defendersof San Diego.

L. THOMAS GARTNER (B.S.) andhis wife, Allison, were married onApril 22, 2006, in Palm Desert, Calif.,with many alumni in attendance. InMay 2006, they relocated to FortWorth, Texas. They welcomed a son,Lawrence Thomas IV, on Feb. 8, 2007.“We are enjoying our new life inTexas,”Thomas writes.

LISA (RAVENSBERG) HALL(B.B.A.) and her husband, Jake, cel-ebrated the arrival of a baby girl, Hai-ley Catherine, on July 27, 2006. “Ourfamily resides in Long Beach, Calif.,and includes my 6-year-old stepson,Carter,” says Lisa.

ALISON (VASTOLA) HARVEY(B.B.A.) moved to West Palm Beach,Fla., where she has been in the phar-maceutical sales industry for sevenyears. In April 2005, she married alocal attorney, Reese Harvey, and onMarch 31, 2006, they welcomed theirfirst child, Ryan Reese.

JAIME KAY KIM (B.A.) marriedCaleb Webster in December 2006.She earned a master’s degree indivinity from Claremont School ofTheology in May 2007 and received

an appointment from the UnitedMethodist Church.

JAIME KRUPNICK (B.A.) marriedJason Geffen, a graduate of theUniversity of Arizona, on April 21,2007. They honeymooned on theCaribbean island of Nevis, and live inSanta Monica. Jaime recently waspromoted to executive director of talent relations and special events atSony Pictures Television.

MICHELLE (DYE) MATTHIAS(B.B.A.) and her husband, Robert,welcomed Alanna Rian on June 9,2007. Alanna joins older brother,Arland, 4, and sister, Adreanne, 2.Michelle is an at-home mom whosells Premier Designs jewelry, andRobert is stationed on the USS Boxer.

KIMBERLY (ALFORD) O’HARA(B.A.) and her husband, Chris, wereblessed with a second daughter,Madeline Grace, on June 13, 2007.Madeline’s big sister, Camryn Eliza-beth, was born on April 4, 2005. Thefamily lives in Cary, N.C.

MELINDA PETERSON (B.A.)graduated from the School of Den-tistry at Creighton University in May2006. She practices at Westward Dental in the Kansas City area. InNovember 2006, Melinda marriedNick Garcia, a professional soccerplayer for the Kansas City Wizards.Melinda and Nick live in Prairie Village, Kan.

ABIGAIL (HORROCKS) PRE-STON (B.A.) lives in St. Louis withher husband, Jared, and their son,Carter. Abby works from home forIBM and enjoys running, hiking, spin-ning and swimming.

KAREN (ABELLA) SANTO-PIETRO (M.S.) and her husband,Gary, welcomed a baby girl, StellaRose, on July 10, 2007. She weighed8 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 19-1/2

inches long.

JENNIFER TYSOR (B.A.) teachesfirst grade in Palm Desert, Calif.

LT. BRYAN WEATHERUP (B.B.A.)and his wife, Elizabeth ’01, celebratedthe arrival of their second child,Carter Luke, on May 11, 2007, inYokosuka, Japan. Bryan expected tostart Naval postgraduate school inthe fall in Monterey, Calif.

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She is also pursuing a master’sdegree in school counseling with afocus on high school studies.

JEANMARIE HARRINGTON(B.A.) writes, “In a whirlwind 2006-07, I returned to USD as a law studentand married Paul Bisceglia, also aUSD alum. I have one more year oflaw school and then who knowswhat will be next!”

SARAH (MULKEY) HUSSION(B.A.) recently opened Unity, aclothing boutique in Denver.

JAIME (LOBDELL) PAYNE (B.A.)earned an M.D. and a master’s degreein public health from St. George’sUniversity in June 2007. She and herhusband, Joel, were married on Dec.27, 2005, in Tacoma, Wash. Jaime is inthe first year of a family medicine res-idency at Valley Medical Center inRenton, Wash.

MARISSA POST (B.A.) graduatedfrom the University of Colorado atDenver with an M.B.A. and anemphasis in marketing.

ERICA RUCCI (B.A.) is the newmanaging director for Lacoste of SanDiego and helped open the Lacosteoutlet in Carlsbad and the Lacoste bou-tique in Fashion Valley. Erica bought ahouse in North San Diego County.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH (B.A.)married his wife, Melanie, on April 3,2007, in Oahu, Hawaii. They live inLemon Grove with their pet goat,Buddy.

REBECCA VARDA (B.A.) complet-ed her master’s degree in teaching atNational-Louis University in Chicagoand is moving to Monterrey, Mexico,for two years to teach English at theInstituto San Roberto, a private inter-national school.

[ 2 0 0 3 ]KIMBERLY (AURELIO) CARLOS(B.A.) and her husband, Ryan, havebeen married for almost two years.Ryan is a firefighter for the Los Ange-les City Fire Department, and Kimber-ly teaches language arts and technol-ogy at Tuffree Middle School.

MEGAN CORCORAN (B.A.) back-packed through Europe for twomonths after graduation. In theNetherlands, she lived with a Dutchfamily as an au pair, caring for their

JOHN WILKES (B.A.) and his wife,Deanne (Jensen) ’01, welcomed adaughter, Aida, on Feb. 22, 2007.They live in Northern California, andJohn teaches math at PonderosaHigh School.

CHRISTY YODER (B.A.) has beenworking in the nonprofit sector sincegraduating from USD. Currently, sheraises money for the American HeartAssociation by leading elementaryand middle schools to hold JumpRope for Heart and Hoops for Heartfundraising and fitness events. “My training with USD’s AmericanHumanics program led me here,” shesays. Christy expected to return toUSD’s School of Leadership and Edu-cation Sciences in the fall to continueher education.

[ 2 0 0 1 ]ERIN (FLEMING) BLOCK(B.B.A.) and her husband, Steven,welcomed a son, Logan Michael, onJune 11, 2007. Erin and Steven bothwork for NAMM, an association for com-panies in the music products industry.They have been married for six years.

DEVON BOZLINSKI (B.A.) is agovernment contractor for SAIC in theU.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program.

TIMOTHY CLARK (B.A.) earned aPh.D. in chemistry from the Universi-ty of California, Irvine, in 2006 andcompleted a postdoctoral fellowshipin 2007 at the University of Wiscon-sin, Madison. In September 2007 hejoined Western Washington Universi-ty as an assistant professor.

RACHEL LINDER DANJCZEK(B.A.) completed an M.Ed. in educa-tion leadership at Lehigh University.She began her new position on thefaculty of the Brentwood School inthe fall. “Now that I am back on theWest Coast, I’ll be able to make itback for the reunion this year,” shesays. “Yeah! Go Toreros!”

CAROL DONOHUE (M.Ed.)writes, “While attending my USDmaster’s class in testing and assess-ment, I was invited to give a work-shop for staff and families of a newcharter school, Greater San DiegoAcademy, on the topic of testing andassessment. The session went so well,I was invited to join the school in ateacher/administrator position.”Theschool had 40 students then, and bythe end of the year, Carol’s section of

[ 2 0 0 0 ]ALLISON (LUNDEN) BERTOC-CHINI (B.A.) and her husband,Tony ’99, live in Orange County, Calif.,with their son, Charlie, born in Febru-ary 2006.

KRISTIN (GROFF) BRADFORD(B.B.A.) and her husband, Eric,were married on March 3, 2007, atThe Immaculata. Alumni in thebridal party included Michelle (Leslie) Skinner and Dana Carlson.Kristin is in medical sales in SanDiego, and Eric works for a largegolf manufacturer in Carlsbad. Theyrecently purchased their first home.

KRISTIN (MCMAHON) COVAR-RUBIAS (B.A.) lives in Denver withher husband, Eddie, and their daugh-ters, Tori and Gabi. She continues hercareer as a bilingual elementaryteacher while launching a business asa party planner.

KATE (BERG) GALINDO (B.A.)completed an English language fel-lowship in Montevideo, Uruguay,and relocated to Denver, where shelives with her husband and twostepchildren. Kate works at HighlineAcademy, a new K-8 public charterschool in Denver, where she teachesEnglish language acquisition andSpanish in the middle school.

CHRISTOPHER HART (B.B.A.)and his wife, Angela (Danni) ’01, celebrated the first birthday of theirtwins, Emerson and Rowan, on June30, 2007.

ALFONSO HERNANDEZ (B.B.A.)runs Five Star Tours with his brotherand mother. Their bus charter com-pany handles tours to Mexico and Las Vegas.

CHRISTOPHER LESTER (J.D.,M.B.A. ’01) and Mandi Urban ’00welcomed their second child, RubyBeatrice, on Mother’s Day, May 13,2007. She weighed 8 pounds, 12ounces, and was 19.5 inches long.

CHUCK MALDONADO (B.A.) andWendy (Patronik) ’00 announce thebirth of their son, William Tyger, onDec. 25, 2006. “The perfect Christmaspresent!” Chuck says.

the school had 240. The school nowhas WASC certification with four sitesand 400 students, and Carol is thelead of the South County ResourceCenter. “USD prepared me well for anexciting, rewarding career in a grow-ing educational field,” she says.

KAEO GOUVEIA (B.B.A.) waspromoted to general manager ofTiki’s Grill and Bar in Honolulu. Hejoined Tiki’s in September 2002 asfloor manager and is now responsiblefor overseeing operations and creat-ing a strategic growth plan for therestaurant. He is a member of theHawaii Restaurant Association andthe American Marketing Association.

MAIJA NOCIL (B.B.A.) recentlyearned an M.B.A. from PepperdineUniversity.

CHAD POWER (B.A.) and his wife,Katy (Carnes) ’00, welcomed a son,Rylan Russell, on July 21, 2007, inWalnut Creek, Calif. Rylan was 8pounds, 3 ounces, and 21 incheslong. Chad and Katy were married onMarch 31, 2006, at Lake Las Vegas.Wedding attendants included alumniTony Alfano and Aimee Tangog.

GINA ROMANO (B.B.A.) marriedTravis Horton on June 9, 2007, in PalmDesert, Calif. USD alumni in the bridalparty were Stephanie (Casagrande) Pur-cell, Gina (Safro) Resch, Kimberly (Har-vey) Kalmbach, Kris Kalmbach, MeredithGavilick, Rene (Romano) Watts andAaron Watts. Gina and Travis live in Dal-las, where Travis is a real estate brokerand Gina is in skin care equipment sales.

SEVAN SETIAN (B.A.) earned aJ.D. degree from Loyola Law Schoolin 2004 and an LL.M. degree in commercial arbitration law fromStockholm University in Sweden in June 2007.

KENDRA (SHORTEN) WOCHOS(B.A.) married her husband, Mark,on June 3, 2006. She earned a mas-ter’s degree from New York Universityin 2003.

[ 2 0 0 2 ]NOELLE (LAPES) DERA (B.A.)and her husband, Marcel, were married on April 9, 2006. Noelle is afourth-grade teacher in Los Angeles.

PENELOPE GREGORIUS (B.A.) isa protective services worker for ChildWelfare Services in San Diego County.

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18-month-old adopted Chinesedaughter, Jusie. “Through caring forJusie, I fell in love with internationaladoptions and sought a job with anadoption agency upon returninghome to California,” she says. Shenow works for the SnowflakesEmbryo Adoption Program at Night-light Christian Adoptions in Fullerton,Calif. In her spare time, she enjoyscountry line dancing and buildinghouses with Habitat for Humanity. In January 2007, she worked withHabitat to help with the rebuildingafter Katrina, and she expected to trav-el to Malaysia in November 2007 tobuild houses in the city of Kuching.

LT. BRANDON FLORES (B.A.)and Lt. Melissa (Feldmeier) Flores ’03are happy to finally call San Diegohome again after three years awaywith the Navy. Brandon is a supplyofficer serving on the USS Peleliu and Melissa is a surface warfare offi-cer trained in nuclear engineeringand serving aboard the USS RonaldReagan. Both Brandon and Melissacompleted deployments to the Persian Gulf in 2006, and Brandonwas deployed to Asia in 2007 for thePeleliu Pacific Partnership.

AMIE GARCIA (B.B.A.) marriedRyan Cort on Aug. 4, 2007. Ryan is a graduate of the University ofColorado, Boulder. They live inDublin, Calif.

DENIS GRASSKA (B.A.) is a jour-nalist at The Southern Cross, thenewspaper for the Catholic Dioceseof San Diego. He has written a chil-dren’s book, illustrated by his col-league, Lucas Turnbloom, and hopesto publish it.

JEREMY HORN (B.A.) earned aJ.D. degree from American Universityin Washington, D.C., in May 2006. Hewas admitted to the Arizona Bar inOctober 2006 and was named anassistant county attorney for Marico-pa County, Ariz., in January 2007.

LORA MCBAY (B.A.) and Tim Marconi ’03 were married on Oct. 27,2006, at St. Mary Magdalene parish inSan Diego. Alumni in the weddingparty were: Andrea Bonnano, AlisonMosley, Beth Rabel, Laura Hayes, Eliz-abeth Eichelberger, Bryan O’Neill,Carlos Dominguez and Dillon Mills.

MY-LINH NGUYEN (M.A.) com-pleted a Ph.D. in human services, spe-

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aura (Berwager) Mankeywas a woman with a plan,but in her case, that plan

was always flexible.“Laura was one of those peo-

ple everybody wishes theywere,” recalls her husband, NavyLieutenant Jeff Mankey. “Shewas always trying to find waysto help others.”

A 2003 USD and NavalReserve Officer Training Corpsgraduate, Mankey, who reachedthe rank of Navy lieutenant junior grade, was well-respect-ed. She talked to Girl Scoutsabout being a pilot, and organ-ized community service proj-ects. And she planned her Jan-uary 2003 wedding herself.

“She put it together whilegoing to school,” says Jeff, 28.“She planned it while I was inFlorida (at Officer CandidateSchool). We had 115 people. Itwas perfect.”

Nothing could have preparedthe young couple for the Jan.26, 2007, Navy helicopter train-ing crash off the California coastthat killed all four of the crewmembers, including Laura. Jeff,working on a submarine inWashington, had been awayfrom his wife for nearly twomonths, due to both of theirnaval commitments.

Jeff says that Laura’s life wasfilled with joy and a big family,made up in part of her three sis-

ters and two brothers. She’d alsoderived great pleasure from herhusband and the memorableevents she experienced duringher time at USD and throughNROTC. In honor of her life, Jeffrecently started the Lt. J.G. LauraJ. Mankey Endowed ScholarshipFund to benefit an NROTC stu-dent while at USD.

“I hope people think aboutwhat she had to offer, and whatshe did,” Jeff says. “I hope peoplelook at themselves and makechanges without having to gothrough something horrific.”

To learn more, call John Phillips inthe Office of Planned Giving at(619) 260-4523.

A LIFE LIVED IN SERVICEE n d owe d s c h o l a r s h i p f u n d to h o n o r f a l l e n N ava l R e s e r ve o f f i c e r by Ryan T. Blystone

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S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 4 3[ r e u n i o n r e m i n d e r ]

cializing in professional counseling,in May 2006. On June 9, 2007, shemarried Cang Nguyen in San Diego.

KATIE (LEBENS) SAGRERO(B.A.) graduated from medicalschool at Western University on May11, 2007, and welcomed a daughter,Magdalena Michelle, on May 20. BabyLena’s arrival was also celebrated byher dad, Miguel Sagrero ’00, and bigbrother, Joey.

CATHERINE SANCIMINO (B.A.)is in a doctoral clinical psychologyprogram. Her current internship is at a community mental healthagency in Berkeley, Calif., and hernext internship will be at OaklandChildren’s Hospital, working with children diagnosed with autism, ages infant to 3 years.

ANN SCHOTT (B.A.) lives in Port-land, Ore., and teaches kindergartenin the suburb of Hillsboro.

JENNI SPAULDING (B.A.) mar-ried Michael Topmiller in Kentucky onJuly 7, 2007. Jenni teaches first gradeat the Gillispie School in La Jolla, andMichael is working toward a Ph.D. inurban planning.

MATTHEW STEINGREBE (B.A.)is on active duty with the Navy as apilot assigned to the “Pukin’ Dogs” ofVFA-142, located at NAS Oceana inVirginia Beach, Va.

TIFFANY TRUNNELL (B.A.)earned a master’s degree in profes-sional counseling in October 2006.

SHELLEY LYFORD VALENTINE(M.A.) and Sean Valentine ’03 weremarried on June 29, 2007, exactly ninemonths after Sean proposed. Shelleyand Sean met in January 2002 in agraduate class at USD. After theyearned their master’s degrees, Seanworked in the entitlement field forPulte Homes in the Bay Area, and Shel-ley stayed at USD to work at the JoanB. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice.USD colleagues and alumni at thewedding included Laura Taylor, Moni-ca Phelps Zambrano, Jon Hellmann,Joe Arnaldo, Emi Noma and Bree DelSordo. Shelley and Sean enjoyed ahoneymoon in French Polynesia. Theynow live in San Clemente, Calif. Shelleyis the executive director of the Garyand Mary West Foundation in Carls-bad. Sean is the development manag-er at Pinnacle AMS Development Co.

nia, San Diego. All of her studiesinvolve functional MRI technology.

MICHELLE ESTEBAN (B.S./B.A.)is a patent agent for a law firm and isa law student at the University of SanFrancisco. She hopes to become anattorney at the law firm after shegraduates. Michelle recently ran twomarathons — one in Florence, Italy,and the San Diego Rock ‘n’ RollMarathon — and completed a 12-hour adventure race.

CARLEY OTTO (B.A.) moved backto California after spending two yearsas a marine mammal trainer in Miami.She is now an educator at the Aquari-um of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif.

VANESSA RUIZ (B.A.) is in gradu-ate school at the University of Illinoisat Chicago. She is majoring in bio-medical visualization and was award-ed the prestigious Abraham Lincolngraduate fellowship for her secondyear of study. Vanessa has an award-winning blog looking at the science,art and culture of medical illustration:http://streetanatomy.com. She is vicepresident of the Student Associationof Medical Artists at UIC. See profileon page 42.

JOHN ZIDER (B.B.A.) sells medicaldevices and equipment for an orthope-dic company. He is the territory manag-er for all of Orange County, Calif.

Send class notes to one of the followingaddresses and we’ll get them in USD Magazine as soon as possible.Class notes may be edited for space.Engagements, pregnancies, personal e-mail addresses and telephone numbers cannot be published.

E-mail: classnotes@sandiego.eduWeb site: www.sandiego.edu/usdmagU.S. Mail: USD Magazine Class Notes,University of San Diego, Department of University Communications,University of San Diego, 5998 AlcaláPark, San Diego, CA 92110

Please note that Class Notes submitted after Jan. 1, 2008 will appear in the Fall 2008issue of USD Magazine.

EMILY (STEVENSON) ZIEROLF(B.A.) and her husband, Ryan ’03,were married on Oct. 28, 2006, inSolana Beach. Alumni in attendanceincluded Molly (King) Oates, Valerie Villi,Alison Heilman, Seth Litchney, Bob Bal-lard, Jason May and Joel Michel. Emily isan admissions counselor at USD and isworking on a master’s degree in coun-seling. Ryan is a systems test engineerin Rancho Bernardo.

[ 2 0 0 4 ]BRENDAN BRACKEN (B.A.)recently made the transition fromowner of a mortgage company to a position as San Diego area manag-er for Flagstar Bank, a federal savings bank and wholesale mortgage lender.

DULCE CASTANEDA (B.A.)earned a master’s degree in educa-tion from Loyola Marymount Univer-sity in 2006. In May 2007, she com-pleted all the course requirements toapply for the California Clear teach-ing credential. She teaches kinder-garten at Immaculate Heart of MarySchool in Los Angeles.

CLARK GULER (B.B.A.) is a salesrep for Buckman Laboratories and helives in Port Hueneme, Calif.

AMY KALNA (B.B.A.) earned anM.B.A. from the Dolan School of Busi-ness at Fairfield University. She wasfeatured in an article in the businessschool newsletter. Amy is a cash/col-lateral management specialist at UBS Stamford.

SEAN MCCLINTON (B.B.A.) mar-ried Yuri Misawa at Salish Lodge inSnoqualmie, Wash. He recentlylaunched a new business, BusinessCard Creations.

MELISSA MOFFAT (B.A.) is a sec-ond-grade teacher.

ANDREA NEWHOUSE (B.A.) hasserved in the U.S. Marine Corps forthree years and is a first lieutenant.She was on deployment from Febru-ary through September in 2006, andagain from December 2006 throughJune 2007. Andrea has one more yearof active duty and then plans toreturn to USD for graduate school.

NAVY LT. J.G. TRAVIS REED(B.A.) served on a four-monthhumanitarian assistance deploymentwhile assigned to the USNS Comfort,

a Military Sealift Command hospitalship homeported in Norfolk, Va.After caring for nearly 25,000patients in Belize and Guatemala,Travis’s unit arrived in Panama tocontinue the mission for the Part-nership of the Americas, which is toprovide primary care, dental care,optometry and other no-cost healthcare services. The unit was sched-uled to visit a number of othercountries, including Columbia,Guyana, Nicaragua and Suriname.

MARISOL RODRIGUEZ-MCBRIDE (B.A.) married her hus-band, Matthew, at Founders Chapelon July 16, 2005. She is a first-gradeteacher at Veterans Elementary andearned a master’s degree from PointLoma Nazarene University in 2007.

KYLE SAGER (B.A.) is an eighth-grade math teacher at Desert ArroyoMiddle School and head coach forfreshman football at Cactus ShadowsHigh School.

LAUREN (DICIANNI) SERVINO(B.A.) and her husband, Kevin ’04,were blessed with the birth of theirfirst child, Ashton, on Sept. 6, 2006.They moved from Orange County toPortland, Ore., where Kevin is anexecutive recruiter at a retainedsearch firm. Lauren and Kevin recent-ly purchased their first home in theHillsboro area.

SHANNON (WISELEY) WILSON(B.A.) earned a master’s degree inNovember 2006 and is looking for acollege-level teaching job.

[ 2 0 0 5 ]RYAN BRIZENDINE (B.A.) is shift-ing into asset management andpreparing for an M.B.A. He also isstarting an energy drink companygeared toward baseball players andother athletes.

COLLEEN (DONOFRIO)ESKRIDGE (B.A.) and her husband,Christopher, were married on March11, 2006. Colleen is a program assistantat the child development center on theMarine base in Twentynine Palms, Calif.On June 12, 2007, Colleen and Christo-pher welcomed a beautiful daughter,Aurora Rosalie. “I am really enjoying lifewith my husband, my daughter andour four dogs,”she says.

HEATHER DONOVAN (B.A.) is aresearcher at the University of Califor-

Send Class Notes

ECLECTIC ELEGANCE Modern dance fans are in for a treat as Kyoto Prizelaureate Pina Bausch gives the Arts and Philosophy presentation for theKyoto Laureate Symposium at USD on March 14. The German choreogra-pher will bring along two of the dancers from her own troupe for a raredemonstration. “Nobody sees how she works with her dancers,” says EllenCook, USD’s Kyoto Laureate Symposium liaison. “This is going to be one of a kind.” Learn more at www.kyotoprize.org.

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