GCCCD Grapevine
Volume 10, Number 1 April, 2000
District Hosts Annual Emeriti Luncheon
Emeriti attending (left to right):Lee Engelhorn, Bob Steinbach, Bob Danielson, Jack
Holleran, Don Anderson, Erv Metzgar, Leon Hoffman, Pat Higgins, Emily Duggan-Zouhar, Bob
Rump, Mickey Shelley, Tom Scanlan, Muriel Owen, Don Shannon, Sam Ciccati and Don Walker.
District emeriti were hosted at the Outback Steak House on January 21, 2000. Seventeen emeriti attended (see picture) and were treated to an excellent luncheon of their choice, ranging from grilled chicken breast with Caesar salad to pasta, rib-eye steak or salmon filet. The district was represented by Chancellor Omero Suarez, Grossmont College president Ted Martinez, Cuyamaca College president Sherrill Amador and GCCCD board member Timothy Caruthers. Also attending were Mary Watkins, supervisor of the Chancellor/Board district office, Susan Bodily (from the same office) who helped to organize the event, and Bob Yochum, who served as photographer.
These annual luncheons provide an opportunity for emeriti to renew acquaintances and to socialize with district representatives. For the district, these luncheons provide an opportunity to acknowledge and award the emeriti for distinguished service. There are now 33 district emeriti. Two of these were just approved by the Board in mid-December, 1999 (see story, this issue). Emeritus/a status is granted to retired certificated employees who are nominated and meet district approved criteria, which include exceptional contributions to their field, the college or district and the community. As part of the event, each of the emeriti was given a package of personalized notepads, bookmarks, postcards, academic calendars and pens bearing district or college logos, the Cuyamaca College Annual Report and an updated emeriti directory. The chancellor and each college president made brief presentations following the luncheon and individual emeriti spoke briefly or asked questions.
District Offers Retirement Incentive to Eligible Employees
The district is offering a new SERP (Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan) effective this June. The window for retirement extends through June, 2003 but the prospective retiree must select a specific retirement date this semester. In this type of plan, the district funds a variety of annuities through an insurance company, usually over a period of five years. Typically these are win-win situations, benefiting both the employee and the district because funding is made available through savings generated when long-time employees are replaced by new retirees at lower starting salaries.
The insurance provider for this plan is Keenan & Associates, a company which has brokered previous SERPs for the district. A variety of options are available to the prospective retiree, all of which provide a fixed monthly supplemental payment. Payments may be for a fixed period or for life and some may be rolled directly into an IRA.
The amount of payment depends on the option chosen, the employee’s final year salary and years with the district. There are approximately 130 district employees eligible for the plan. The employee must be tenured faculty, at least 55 years old, and have worked for the district at least ten years. To date, thirty some faculty have expressed an interest in the SERP.
Editor’s Comments
by Gene Murray
Hey! The world didn’t come to an end.
January 1st, 2000, came and went, and guess what? The world didn’t end. All the world’s computers didn’t crash. The ATM machines still worked; the banks didn’t lose their records. (Why did I bother to bury all those thousands of dollars worth of gold and silver coins in my back yard?) Water still ran in the taps, and grocery stores still had food to sell. Airplanes didn’t fall out of the sky. (I should have gone on that trip that I really wanted to take.) God is still in heaven, and life goes on here on the earth. Thankfully, our concerns were unfounded. Maybe at the next change of millenniums we will know better. Probably not.
Something new and exciting is happening to the "Grapevine." Bob Steinbach has consented to write a gossip column with juicy tidbits of news from our colleagues and elsewhere. He will gladly accept comments and even corrections, because he knows that gossip has a way of mutating as it passes from person to person. First or third person contributions will be gratefully accepted at rcsteinbach@cs.com , telephone him at (858) 576-8543, or mail your hot news to 11396 Cmo. Playa Cancun #1, San Diego, CA 92124. Turn in your gossip, and Bob will make this an amusing part of the "Grapevine."
District Internet Service Now Available to All Retirees
Lori Carver, Risk Management/ Benefits Office, has contacted various individuals associated with the district’s computer facilities and has determined that internet and e-mail service is now available to all retired staff, certificated and classified, who wish to use the district as an ISP (Internet Service Provider). Prospective users are reminded that access to the server is only ‘free’ if they live within the local (telephone) area. In other words, if dialing into the district server (on the Grossmont College campus) is a toll charge, the individual is responsible for those charges.
Classified retirees who are interested in using the service should contact Randy Pogue at the District Information Systems Help Desk (619) 644-7547. Certificated retirees should contact Hsiu-Chih Jennings at (619) 644-7811.
Driftwood
Snippets of gossip 
that have been burnished by friends
and washed up on the Grapevine desk
...Bob
Steinbach
Congratulations to Larry Coons and Dick Mellien who were recently awarded emeritus status by the Governing Board.
Condolence to Ann Lesh whose husband, Marlowe, passed away in July. She lives near Atlanta and travels to visit family.
Condolence to Micky Bushong whose husband, Deral, passed away in January. Mickey is now in Community Convalescent Hospital in La Mesa.
Ivan Jones loves his home on one of Puget Sound’s small bays, but winter invariably finds Ivan and Colleen heading south. They were in Morro Bay in January and February.
Mickey Shelly made a surprise appearance at the Emeritus Luncheon. He and Doris are enjoying life in Palm Desert – no more antique business.
It was great to see Bill Carden at Dick Mellien’s retirement party. Bill is playing less tennis and more golf.
Wayne Harmon and Peg are in Cancun this month for the second year in a row. He calls it great a birding area. Peg recently had her latest book accepted for publication by a division of Penguin/Putnam.
Peter Rushbrook (Exchange from Box Hill Institute, 1991) has accepted an appointment as at Associate Professor and Department Head at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW.
Vivien Carroll (Exchange from Box Hill Institute, 1988) married Geoff Rogerson in November 1998. She has been working for the State of Victoria and will soon depart to the Philippines for 18 months to implement Total Quality Management in the Technical Veterinary Program there.
Erv Metzgar is on the Board of the Council on International Programs which provides opportunities for foreign workers to live in and learn about US Culture.
Rob Larson enjoys flying … simulators on his computer or radio-controlled models that he builds.
Biblio-files
by Tom Scanlan
My ‘Millennium List’
All that mankind has done, thought, gained, or been: it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of books.—Thomas Carlyle
All sorts of ‘best books of the century’ lists were published late last year as an end-of-millennium statement of what critics and readers believed was essential reading. Well, I’m going to give you my own rather personal list at the beginning of the new millennium using only the criteria that I enjoyed and remember these books.
This listing is divided into several parts; those books which I remember fondly from my childhood and early youth, those which impressed me most when I was a young man, and those which I’ve read mostly in my later years.
The books which I remember from my childhood are books which would still appeal to an
adult, whether you’ve read them or not. Maybe you can even cajole your grandchildren
into reading some of them. The ‘top ten’, in no special order (authors not given
because all titles are generally well known) are:
Gulliver’s Travels
The Wizard of Oz
Bambi
Call of the Wild
My Friend Flicka
Alice in Wonderland
The Yearling
Last of the Mohicans
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
I also enjoyed various books (most of which are probably collector’s items by now) in the Brownie series, many of the Big-Little books (and the wonderful ‘movies’ they exhibited on the pager corners when the pages were fanned), Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Aesop’s Fables.
During the war years (I was eight years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed), I read quite a bit because my mother, who had been an English teacher and was an active member of the Book-of-the-Month Club, provided lots of incentive (thanks, Mom). My favorites were books about the war (my dad was in the Navy), especially Guadalcanal Diary and Combined Operations.
In high school, much of my free time was devoted to the movies, music, cars, and girls so I mostly read only what was required in English classes (some of which I remember fondly), including books like The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Scarlet Letter and Rebecca, and the writings of Emerson and Thoreau. I also read some popular ‘dime novels’ like the Mike Hammer series and I still remember The Amboy Dukes.
I did very little reading during my three years in the Marines, but I do remember reading and enjoying Jones' From Here to Eternity and, of course, Uris’ Battle Cry, both of which had just been published and were very popular in the barracks.
My first years out of the service, I was a prolific reader whenever I got a break from college, especially in the summers or during the semester I took off from college to re-build my savings. My favorite authors then were Hemmingway and Steinbeck. I read nearly everything they wrote. My favorite Hemmingway novels were Across the River and Into the Trees and The Sun Also Rises. My favorite Steinbeck was (and still is) East of Eden. I was also very taken at that time with Hudson’s Green Mansions and Hilton’s Lost Horizon, both of which transport you to exotic worlds.
The early years of my marriage (BC, before children), I read some fiction and non-fiction by writers such as Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell and Phillip Wylie. Those were my years of mostly non-fiction, however, and Rosemarie and I regularly read the Atlantic Monthly and the Saturday Review magazines. Those were serious times, what with the transition to family life and the Cuban missile crisis—and busy times, finishing college and working during the breaks.
My ‘career years’ at Grossmont College were also busy times, filled with the joys of raising two wonderful daughters, going places and doing things at a rate that left little time for reading fiction. Most of my reading was focused on my teaching—astronomy and physics (and student papers, of course). I read some science fiction during those years, however. My favorite works of science fiction include Asimov’s I Robot, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Crichton’s Andromeda Strain, Huxley’s Brave New World and Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz.
Upon retiring, I was to return once again to one of the greater joys of my youth, reading fiction. I continue to do so to this day, though I still enjoy an occasional biography or history. My favorite modern author is Wallace Stegner, followed closely by John Gardner (both now deceased). My favorite Stegner novel is Crossing to Safety, and my favorite Gardner novel is Mickelsson’s Ghosts.
For light reading, my favorite authors have been Tom Clancy (I’ve read most of his techno-thrillers and his best was his first, The Hunt for Red October) and Tony Hillerman, whose Navajo policeman mysteries mostly take place in one part of the country I grew up near, the reservations of New Mexico and Arizona. I can’t really pick a favorite Hillerman novel. I’ve enjoyed all of them, including his latest.
My favorite ‘older’ classics include Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago, Hugo’s Les Miserables, Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Mann’s Magic Mountain, and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
My favorites among the more ‘modern classics’ (or modern near-classics) include Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (but be sure to also read his Tender is the Night), Frazier’s Cold Mountain, Hesse’s Siddhartha, Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, London’s Martin Eden, Michener’s Hawaii, Nichols’ Milagro Beanfield War, Seth’s A Suitable Boy, Shute’s On the Beach, Uris’ Exodus, Welty’s The Optomist’s Daughter and Wolfe’s The Right Stuff. I would also include the novels I mentioned earlier by Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Stegner and Gardner in this favorite ‘modern classics’ category.
Incidentally, it should be no surprise that these lists include some of my favorite films, including Dr. Zhivago, The Milagro Beanfield War, East of Eden, From Here to Eternity, To Kill A Mockingbird, and when I was younger, Bambi, The Wizard of Oz and The Yearling.
These lists are far from exhaustive and are probably too eclectic for some tastes. I include a few writers who are not considered highly among the literati. But all of these books transported me to another time or another place or put me in someone else’s mind—something that I believe any book worth recommending to others should do. I culled most of these titles from books currently resting on bookshelves in my den or living room. Rosemarie and I have collected a few books over the years, and those shelves now sag under the weight of over 1000 books—464 works of fiction (including poetry) and 544 non-fiction. If you have survived this article and are hungry for more lists, you’ll find the complete lists of this collection on my website at http://www.geocities.com/tomtales
These lists include the short stacks of books still piled here and there which are still begging to be read. Where does the time go!?
Finally, I’d like to remind you readers that I welcome your own suggestions or reviews of books which you’d recommend. Also, I always appreciate any suggestions you might have for this column or any feedback on books I’ve recommended.
Two Receive Emeritus
Larry Coons
Dick Mellien
At the 14 December 1999 Board meeting the District Governing Board conferred emeritus status upon Larry Coons, Dean Emeritus, and Dick Mellien, Dean Emeritus. Chancellor Suarez expounded on the merits of their service to the District, and he presented each with a plaque and an emeritus pin. Congratulations, guys. Emeritus status provides retirees with emeritus business cards, emeritus status in college catalogs, and emeritus pin, emeritus status noted on the retirement plaque, membership in the Chancellor’s Emeritus Club, and collective emeritus study in the library with individual storage.
"God’s Country" (My father’s pseudonym for
the Pacific Northwest.)
by
Mickey Shelley
The Olympic Park,
where my grandson, Morgan, and I stand,
envelopes a scene
painted by Aphrodite’s hand.
Life is abundant
in every ancient tree.
Rain forest
as far as one can see.
Held at awe, I am driven to listen
to the quiet of life around.
Touching the green, all senses engulfed,
emotions abound.
This is where creatures
such as I belong.
Here, the Nightingale could
sing a morning song.
Feet damp, from moss
beneath magnificent trees.
I "feel" these life fluids, and embrace
odors on an early morning breeze.
Vines, ferns, bushes, mother trees
and the essential stag.
Giant fir and cedar limbs, moving, reaching out,
like an army of Goliaths’ playing slow-motion tag.
Slender bright sun rays beam through, while,
silently, a Blacktail deer gives birth.
In the Olympic National Park, a beautyspot,
on an oft neglected earth.
Retirees are encouraged to send their poems to the Grapevine. Please limit submissions to 40 lines or less.
Retirement Committee Formed
A newly formed Retirement Committee met for the first time in February. Committee members are: Chuck Seymour, chairman; Emily Duggan-Zouhar; Gloria Claesson; Joanne Prescott; Lori Carver; and Gene Murray.
Topics addressed included: long-term care, check list for retirees, social security problems, tax shelters, notification of what on-campus programs and classes are available for retirees, volunteer positions, discount movie tickets, planning of the retirement dinner, and access to the District internet.
If you have any ideas, requests, or concerns, please contact one of the committee members.
PERS Report
What happened to your SB400 bonus that was supposed to be paid to you on January 1st? It will be paid to you as part of your April payment, retroactive to January. On May 1st, you will receive the annual cost-of-living increase.
The last significant retirement benefit improvement was almost 30 years ago. Since then the average inflation rate has been 3.5%, while retirement benefits have increased at a maximum of 2%. The bonus, which ranges from 0 to 6%, depending on date of retirement, is supposed to help retirees catch up to the cost-of-living.
The Governor vetoed SB234, which would have increased the Purchasing Power Protection Allowance to 80% The Purchasing Power Protection Allowance currently is payable when the value of your initial retirement allowance falls below 75% of what it was when you retired.
Discount on Movie Tickets Available to Retirees
Associated Students of Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College (ASGC/ASCC) informs us that retirees have access to movie tickets at a discount. You can purchase tickets at the Student Activities window for movies playing at Edwards, Pacific, Regal and AMC theatres for $5.50 each. With a $14.00 ASGC or ASCC benefit card, movie tickets are only $4.50 each. You can contact ASGC directly at (619) 644-7604 or ASCC at (619) 660-4272. This may represent substantial savings to those of you who do not yet qualify for senior discount prices.
Thanks to Linda Walker at ASGC and Lori Carver at Risk Management/Benefits Office for letting us know.
Keep Those Letters Coming
Grapevine readers frequently mention that one of the best features of our newsletter is the letters-from-retirees section. We all worked together for many years. It’s only natural that now we want to know what’s happened to all these folks we used to know. So please keep those letters coming. Your lives are our best stories.
You can reach us by e-mail at
thomas.scanlan@gcccd.net or send
us a letter to:
Grossmont College
8800 Grossmont College Drive
El Cajon, CA 92020
Attn: GCCCD Grapevine
Bill Burns Dies 
Bill Burns died in 1999 at the age of 78. Bill transferred to this District from the Grossmont Union High School District in 1967. He started out as a part-time bus driver for the High School District and moved up the ladder to be District Business Manager. He retired from the College District as Assistant Superintendent/Business. During World War II and the Korean War he served in the Marine Corps. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Major. Bill’s oldest daughter, Shannon Hoy, taught at Grossmont College in the Anthropology department. His two youngest daughters both attended college at Grossmont.
Anne Mae Oliver Dies 
Anne Oliver, who was employed at Grossmont College from 1969 to 1979, died recently at the age of 77. Anne worked with Doris Woods in the steno department. Most of us old timers will remember Anne and Doris working in the corner of the 500 building. About the only time they got out was to run material over to the duplicating department. Nancy Yale says she remembers tons of work coming from those two women. Anne has two sons, one of whom was a La Mesa police officer who taught Administration of Justice classes at Grossmont.
Happy Spring Time To All
To submit news items, articles or photographs of interest to GCCCD retirees, mail them to:
The Grapevine
Grossmont College
8800 Grossmont College Drive
El Cajon, CA 92020
The Grapevine is published in November, April and July. Deadline for submission is the 10th of the month before publication.