GCCCD Grapevine

Volume 10, Number 2                                                                                                July, 2000

District Wide Celebration
by Gene Murray

The outdoor patio at the Singing Hills Golf Course was festooned with brightly decorated tables for the end of the year party where all the current retirees were honored. First we all wandered around doing what we like to do best-talking to those we hadn’t seen for a while. Then we ate heatily from a lavish buffet while listening to music provided by DJ Evan Wirig. Next Chancellor Omero Suarez reviewed the District’s accomplishments during the past year. Both campuses are growing. At Cuyamaca construction has started on the Student Services one-stop complex, a Child Development Center, and the N Building remodel. At Grossmont the new library is funded and in its final phase, a Technology Mall is also in the final design and a contract has been awarded for a new football field surface.

Next on the agenda was the honoring of the new retirees. Dr. Suarez and Dr. Martinez passed out gifts to each one. Instead of receiving a crummy watch, the retirees received a crummy clock. Actually it was a very nice clock that was much appreciated. Sylvia Montejano sang a medley of songs to entertain us, and then it was music and dancing until everyone staggered away at the end of the evening.

Retirees honored at the event included those who retired in 1998, 1999 and 2000, a total of 40 certificated and classified. Retirees from earlier years seen enjoying themselves at this celebration included Dorothy Arnold, Bill Bornhorst, George Dillon, JoAnn Dutton, Bill Givens, David Glismann, Marjorie Galbally, Wayne Harmon, Leon Hoffman, Jeanne Hyde, Shirley Jones, Joanne Joseph, Dorothy Kapchinske, Warren Keller, Ken Kinman, Eve Lill, Victor Mendoza, Erv Metzgar, Clark Mires, Toni Mueller, Gene Murray, Frances Pierce, Joanne Prescott, Tom Scanlan, Gene Sumner, Neil Towne and probably others whom I missed.

           Note: All pictures taken by Leon Hoffman.  Captions read left to right.

          Happy Hour at Singing Hills Country Club, GCCCD Spring Celebration, June 2
             
                       Jeanne and Charlie Hyde          Brian Harvey, Gay Cox and Dorothy Arnold

                                                       Chow time!
Chuck and Janet Seymour, Alba Orr       Jan Herrera, Jeanne Hyde, Joanne Joseph
                           and Karen Bishop                                         and Walter Herrera

                                                    More Pictures

Eleven More Retire

Five classified and six certificated GCCCD employees have retired since our last issue of Grapevine. The five classified are: Christina Benson (Asst. Financial Aid Officer, Grossmont, 1991), Barbara Carter (Job Development Specialist, Grossmont, 1985), Connie Chauvin (Financial Aid Technician, Grossmont, 1986), Barbara Farina (Learning Resource Systems Spec., Grossmont, 1977) and Jennifer Merrilees (Printing Dept. Supervisor, Grossmont, 1971).

The six certificated are Dr. Lawrence Barry (Instructor, Business Administration, Cuyamaca, 1985), Bill Gillespie (Instructor, Physical Education, Grossmont, 1965), Dr. Mary Hubbard (Instructor, Family & Consumer Studies, Grossmont, 1979), Dr. Millie McAuley (Instructor, Business, Grossmont, 1967), John Saetti (Instructor, Humanities, Grossmont, 1962), and Marty Williams (Instructor, Registered Nurse, Grossmont, 1970).

Dr. Lawrence Barry         Christina Benson          Barbara Carter               Connie Chauvin

    Barbara Farina               Bill Gillespie             Dr. Mary Hubbard        Dr. Millie McAuley

   Jennifer Merrilees              John Saetti                   Marty Williams

Editors Comments
      
    by Tom Scanlan

There are some down-sides to being a newsletter editor. The worst of these are deadlines and obituaries. Deadlines are the most persistent down-side. Every issue has a deadline. There can be such joy in procrastination, deliberately postponing what must be done simply because we have the power to do so. Deadlines yank us out of this blissful state and nag at us to ‘get back to work’. Still, we’ve all learned to deal with deadlines--ever since the days our mothers called us to the table or we’d get no dinner. Most of our life has been a battle between deadlines and procrastination.

Writing obituaries is more difficult. Life hasn’t prepared us for that. I still skip those pages in the newspaper. Despite that, I believe that obituaries are an essential part of this newsletter. Fortunately, not every issue of Grapevine requires them. Unfortunately, this issue requires four.

Many of you now live outside the San Diego area, and many who live nearby may, like me, not read the obituaries in the local papers. But even though obituaries remind us uncomfortably of our own mortality (especially in our ‘golden years’), they can also rekindle memories of colleagues and friends, some nearly forgotten, who enriched our lives when we were employees of the college district. They remind us of the connectivity of community, that enduring, elastic bond of fellowship expressed so eloquently centuries ago by John Donne;

"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."

And, there is a bright side to obituaries, because the announcement of someone’s death is inevitably accompanied by some description of their life. What stirs the reader are not the circumstances of someone’s death but the memories of their life. We remember the person. We see them. We hear them talking and laughing. One more time.

Of the four newly deceased retirees, I knew Katherine Faulconer best (see Clark Mire's article, this issue). Her life, because she was so active and still had so many plans right up to the time of her death, provides a reminder to all of us. I am reminded of Dylan Thomas’ words to his dying father;

And so she did. And so may we all.

Lori Carver Leaves District                    

Lori Carver resigned from her job as Risk Management Assistant this June. She held the job in the district office since 1995. She has been extremely helpful and a friend to retirees and the Grapevine during her entire tenure. She is leaving the district primarily so that she can spend more time at home with her 10 year old daughter, Danielle. Thanks and goodbye to Lori from all of us. We will miss her.

Note:  Until further notification, contact Chuck Seymour at (619) 644-7711 on all matters concerning benefits.  You can also reach him at chuck.seymour@gcccd.net

                                                              
Driftwood     by Bob Steinbach     

Snippets of gossip that have been burnished by friends and washed up on the Grapevine desk.

This is a gossip column. If you don’t feel like tattling on yourself, then tattle on some one else. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. Rcsteinbach@cs.com

Bob Danielson doubts that he would go back to flying Navy Planes, but he does miss teaching. Nan and he enjoyed a visit to Washington, D.C this past spring and will visit Cape Cod this Fall. Their family of 2 children, 9 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren are a source of great joy.

Ray Resler has found a home away from home in Thailand. He hops back and forth on a roughly bimonthly schedule. Seafood, rice and retirement have made him look 10 years younger.

Shirl Collamer had a wonderful trip to Europe in May and thoroughly enjoyed the Passion Play at Oberammergau.

John Williams left Grossmont in 1993 to become VPSS at San Joaquin Delta College. Peter White, VPSS Grossmont, saw him recently and says John is still there and "doing fine".

Jake Rasmussen writes from Echo Bay, Nevada, that his hobby of monitoring and recording the water level in Lake Mead twice a day keeps him close to home, but good bass fishing is the reward for his diligence.

When the San Diego TV news covers square-dancing in Balboa Park, keep your eyes open for Joe McMenamin. He says it’s fun and a painless cardiac workout.

Eve Lill reports she is happy and loves her retirement freedom. She has temporarily closed her galleries so she can sell the properties in which they were located and anticipates moving to the Chula Vista area. She frequently travels to Mammoth Lakes to ski, fish and hike, and has visited Rome, Florence, Miami, St. Petersburg, Sacramento, Reno and San Francisco so far this year! Hobbies include Spanish and piano.

Lee and Barbara Roper and Judy Barkley were in Savannah and Charleston this spring. They thoroughly enjoyed several tours of grand old southern Mansions.

Jacki Couch and husband John have purchased a home in Richmond, Virginia. Last year her first screenplay, Searching For Father, was named a finalist in the Governor's Screenwriting Competition. John was a finalist the year before and they have both signed with the same agent.

Shirley Jones’ husband George was at a Padre game on Mother’s Day and had every fans dream come true – he got hit by a foul ball and is now nursing a bruised leg.

Bob Peck is recovering nicely after taking a serious tumble in the Grossmont Center parking lot.

Joanne Joseph’s dire predictions of never being a grandmother have long since gone up in smoke – she is celebrating grandchild #3. Congratulations!

Neveu’s Wines Win Awards     
by Tom Scanlan

Ernie Neveu’s most recent success with winemaking was featured on the front page of the May 16 issue of Siskiyou Daily News, including a picture of Ernie holding his two bronze medals. He won the medals for his 1998 Pinot Noir and his 1999 Pinot Gris at his first ever competion in Ontario, Canada earlier this year. His future plans include competing at California’s Orange County Fair, about which he said, "To get an honorable mention at Orange County is like winning an Olympic gold medal."

Although Ernie has produced and bottled a limited quantity of wine, he describes his place as a vineyard right now because most of his time and space is devoted to growing wine grapes. Eventually he plans a new building and winery where he can produce 2000 cases a year and market the wine on the internet.

Commenting on his success, Ernie’s motto is ‘C’est le terroir’-- ‘It is the soil’. I followed Ernie around on his place when Rosemarie and I visited him in 1998, and I saw what he does from dawn to sunset, seven days a week. I say ‘C’est le homme’.

Congratulations to you, Ernie.

This news just in! Ernie won a bronze medal for his Pinot Gris and a GOLD medal for his
Tempranillo wine at this year's Orange County Fair competition (Fair opened July 14). There were
over 400 wines in the prestigeous competition but less than ten percent won gold medals. This is the
Grand Prix of wine competition on the west coast.

(See feature article on Ernie's vineyards in the November, 1998 Grapevine)

Board Awards Emeritus Status to Five Retirees

The GCCCD Board approved the emeritus nominations for five additional retired faculty at its meeting on May 16, 2000. The new emeriti are Dr. Lee Brown (Instructor, Political Sci. and Dean,Grossmont 69-96), Paul Jacques (Instructor, Spanish, Grossmont 72-99), Jack McAuley (Instructor, Speech, Grossmont 62-99), Josephine Messina (Instructor, Business, Grossmont 67-99) and Charles Park (Instructor, Chemistry, Grossmont 66-99). There are now thirty-six retirees with emeritus or emerita status.

                                          
   Dr. Lee Brown                              Paul Jacques                                 Jack McAuley 

      
                     
  Josephine Messina                           Charles Park

Biblio-files
by Tom Scanlan

Tis, Frank McCourt (Scribner, 1999) **

For those of you who enjoyed McCourt’s highly acclaimed Angela’s Ashes, this book may disappoint. The McCourt’s latest book is an endless recounting of how inept he was when he returned to this country at age nineteen. He relates, over and over, how poor he was, how stupid he felt, what blunders he made, right up through his brief tenure in the U.S. Army. It’s a ‘coming of age’ tale, told better by many a writer without all the whining and repetition. New Yorkers might enjoy parts of the book, and perhaps some male readers who have not yet moved on from adolescence.

To be fair, though, the book improves in its final pages where he describes his life as a teacher in New York city. He began his teaching career (and nearly ended it) in the blackboard-jungle atmosphere of a tech/voc highschool in a poor section of the city. The problems he encountered, those students he eventually won over, and his mixed-bag of teaching colleagues are all described with humor and insight that any teacher will relate to. He later moved on to prestigious Stuyvesant High where he taught Creative Writing for eighteen years before retiring--and finally had the time and energy to begin writing Angela’s Ashes.

A Book of Common Prayer, Joan Didion (Simon and Schuster, 1977) ****

This brief novel of just over two-hundred pages tells the story of two American women living in the fictional Central American nation of Boca Grande, a town that has been all but abandoned by the world-at-large. Grace Strasser-Mendana controls much of the country's wealth and knows its politicians and its secrets; Charlotte Douglas is an innocent abroad. She has moved to Boca Grande because she feels that it is here, in a nation forever festering with political unrest, that she might eventually be reunited with her daughter, a fugitive radical.

Grace Strasser-Mendana realizes that the nation is on the brink of another violent political upheaval. Charlotte ignores the increasing violence and the messy breakdown of the infrastructure which foretell this disaster. Worse, she ignores the danger to herself as an American with connections (through her daughter) to the radical left. The more Grace tries to get Charlotte to leave the country, the more Charlotte becomes involved in activities associated with the upheaval.

There are affairs and interrogations and intrigue; there is violence and cruelty and killing. These two women, one in control and one almost clueless, do what they feel they must do in order to survive the chaos and carnage of the revolution which is closing in on them. The woman who survives brings a poignant closure to the life of the woman who does not.

It’s a quick read but the not easy to forget.

Americans’ Favorite Poems, ed. Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz (Norton, 2000)*****

If you only buy one anthology of popular poetry, buy this one. It is an exceptional collection of 200 of the best liked poems by poets ranging over history from Lao Tzu to Seamus Heany. More than 140 poets are represented, including W.H. Auden, William Blake, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Burns, Lord Byron, Geoffrey Chaucer, Emily Dickinson, John Donne, Rita Dove, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, James Joyce, John Keats, Andrew Marvel, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Czeslaw Milosz, John Milton, Pablo Neruda, Ezra Pound, Alexander Pushkin, Rainer Maria Rilke, Carl Sandburg, Sappho, William Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, Walt Whitman, William Wordsworth, James Wright, and William Butler Yeats.

This anthology is the result of the Favorite Poem Project, in which over ten thousand Americans responded to U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky’s request to send in their favorite poems. He conceived this project as a 200th birthday present to the Library of Congress. His idea was to have a broad cross section of Americans choose their favorite poem and explain briefly why (my own response to this project was Robert Frost’s "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening") . From these, a thousand were asked to record them on audio tape and two hundred were asked to record them on video tape (some of these video tapes have already aired on Jim Lehrer’s Newshour on public TV). These tapes will reside in the Library of Congress Archives. You can find out more about this project and view many video clips of people reading their favorite poem by visiting the website http://www.favoritepoem.org

What makes this collection so special is that you can read a brief description of the person who considered the poem to be their favorite--and why--just before you read each poem. Some of these personal statements are as moving or as enjoyable as the poem which follows. The poems are arranged alphabetically by author, including the author’s birthdate and homeland, and the book includes an index of authors, titles and first lines.

Lee Roper writes:                             

A Duck is a Duck is a Duck

I see from the last issue of the Grapevine
That the emeriti are swarming again
Shining and polishing their golden halos
And feeling free of original sin

They bow and curtsy to the administration
For balloons, whistles, and stale munchables
Provided they haven't since last together
Spoken or touched the unemeritized untouchables

And while the unemeritized huddle outside
Sad homeless faces they doth make
The banqueting emeriti call out in chorus
"Poor devils, let them eat cake."

For the life of me I just can't see the justification of dividing our
small family of retired faculty into the "in" and "out" group. It is
not only divisive but inherent in the designation emeriti is the
assumption that the emeriti have contributed more to the college than
the unemeritized. That assumption I consider the height of blind
egotistic arrogance. With a few minor exceptions among the emeritized
and unemeritized, I think all retirees gave as much as they could to the
students in ways they found most compatible with their interests and
talents.
I recommend eliminating the emeriti label which is what I find so
personally objectionable. That distinguished title should remain on the
university level to be awarded to faculty who have made original
contributions to their profession, their university and their students;
those professors who have spent their careers in the high stress world
of publish or perish. Instead we have chosen to work in the community
college with its high priority on teaching. Grossmont's liberal use of
the dictionary definition of emeriti smacks of a pretentiousness which
reflects discredit on the college and on all the retirees. We have all
spent our professional careers as dedicated teachers and that should be
distinction enough.

Lee Roper donald.roper@gcccd.net

Doris Woods writes:      

I surely enjoy the Grapevine and hearing about what other retirees are doing. Your book
reviews are great! Some of the books I 've enjoyed lately:

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (WW II memories)

The Greatest Generation Speaks, (same author but not as good as the first, in my opinion)

From This Day Forward by Steve and Cokie Roberts (how a mixed marriage between Jew and
Catholic survives and grows strong when each is able to appreciate the other's faith and share
their mutual interests as professional reporters)

Faith of Our Fathers by John McCain (well written and a vivid picture of his Vietnam experience)

I enjoyed my years in Room 500 and all the appreciative and friendly teachers who made use of
our services. I was a high school English teacher in Idaho and Wyoming before coming to So.
California, so enjoyed the academic atmosphere when I went back to work after my sons were
grown. Retirement has given me more time to enjoy my sons and their families: five grandchildren
and five great-grands. They are now experiencing the trials and joys of raising young adults, and I
must admit that it is far more difficult today than when they were that age.

I like to garden and some of the plants that teachers shared with me over the years are still giving
me joy: amaryllis, epiphyllum, Flanders Fields poppies and roses, to mention a few. I read and
solve double-crostic puzzles, which I've been doing for 25 years. They never lose their
fascination and are so much more interesting than crosswords. I delivered Meals on Wheels for
sixteen years but gave it up last year when I turned 88.

Don’t Forget to Get Your New Parking Permit

The parking permit you currently have on your car window is invalid, or soon will be. Staff parking permits are valid for three years, and the three years is up 31 July. To obtain your replacement parking sticker go to the Campus Business Office at Grossmont College or to the Cashiers Office at Cuyamaca College. Happy parking-no tickets!

New Food Service Provider

ARA, who ran the cafeteria for years and years, has been replaced by a new group called ‘Fresh and Natural’. The summer food service will be provided at Grossmont College in the Griffin Grille (that’s a new name) until 4 August from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. At Cuyamaca College the Coyote’s Den will be in business until 5 August with the same hours. Why not stop in and give the new guys a try. Maybe the grub will be better; maybe not.

                                                           
                                                Katherine Faulconer (1916-2000)   

(ed. note: Katherine Falcouner died June 4, 2000, of cancer at Thornton Hospital, La Jolla. The following was graciously provided by retiree Clark Mires.)

I first met Katherine when she was working for the Admissions Office. She had performed in several student productions at the college. It was during this time that I learned how extensive her training in theatre was. After her retirement from the Admissions Office she was encouraged to teach acting classes in our Theatre Department. While teaching at Grossmont College she completed her Master’s Degree at San Diego State with a performance project as Amanda in Tennessee William’s A Glass Menagerie. She was a devoted teacher-her students would always return to thank her for her concern and persistence with them as they eventually realized how fortunate they had been to be able to study with Katherine. Do you realize how exciting it is for students and teachers to perform as equals-learning from each other to create unforgettable and inspiring relationships both on-stage and off? If you were fortunate enough to see A Trip to Bountiful at Grossmont you know what a meaningful experience this can be. After this production Katherine retired (a second time) only to continue performances with San Diego Theatre Companies: Martin Gerrish’s Octad-One Productions, the Old Globe, Lamplighters, Starlight, The Fritz, On Stage Productions, North Coast Rep., Actor’s Alliance, and the The San Diego Rep. Just a couple of months ago Katherine completed a brilliant performance in Ring Around the Moon at Lambs Players Theatre in Coronado.

From each of these encounters emerged some very unique and unforgettable relationships ever enlarging Katherine’s extended family. Katherine’s whole new adventure into teaching, acting and directing, to me, seems to be echoed in the Indian meditationist Patanjali's thoughts as the essence of Katherine:

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become active and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."

On Friday, June 16th, Katherine’s four children, four of her grandchildren, fellow Quakers from the Society of Friends and over two hundred members of her ‘extended family’ gathered to celebrate with tears and laughter the life of this lovely lady at Grossmont College (see program).

I will always remember Katherine with a twinkle in her eye, head thrown back and laughing-she had a marvelous sense of humor. During the last few weeks, Katherine received a number of calls for auditions-It got me to thinking- You know she’s been ‘auditioning’ for this time in her life for a long, long time. So the way I figure it-She’s made the callbacks and is going on tour! And it’s inevitable that sooner or later we are all going to catch her act. So as this new curtain is going up-We all rise, celebrate with a tearful, meaningful, heartfelt, exuberant applause for our Katherine the Great! We Love You.

 Etholyn Shaw Dies  

When Grossmont College first opened at this site, a number of employees of the Grossmont Union High School District opted to transfer to the college. Etholyn Shaw was one of these. She worked with George Dillon in the Instructional Media Department until 1971 when she retired. She was born in Farwell, Texas in 1907 and she died in El Cajon on 29 May, 2000, at the age of 92. She belonged to the PEO and to Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Survivors include her daughter, Marilyn Barclay Harder, sister Nadene Clark, two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Two More Long-time Retirees Leave Us  
                                                                         Jane Schweer      (no pic available for Minnix)

Trudy Minnix died recently. She came to Grossmont College from the Grossmont Union High School District, but she worked here only a few years before she retired in 1969. Trudy was the supervisor of Steno Services. She was replace by Lessie Dawsey, another long-time retiree. Trudy was an artist. Fellow employees were always asking her to draw something for them. She also was a tremendous calligrapher, and when we needed some attractive lettering we went to her. This was in the days before computers. She was a marvelous person. We are going to miss her.

Jane Schweer also died recently. Jane was with the district from 1965 until 1979. She worked in the student center as a hostess. She patrolled the student center, handled the lost and found, unofficially counseled the students, helped everybody, and assisted John Burdick, Dean of Students. She was affectionately known as "Momma Bear". Later the college administration decided the students could survive by themselves, and Jane was transferred to the Athletic Department. She was only 77 years old at the time of death.

If you would like to be notified by e-mail when the web (on-line) version of the Grapevine is available, please send me an e-letter request to do so.  The web version is usually ready one-two weeks ahead of the hard-copy version.

  Tom Scanlan, editor