GCCCD Grapevine

Volume 10, Number 3                                                                                    November, 2000

Five Join the Ranks of Retirees

Between now and the end of this year, one faculty and four classified will retire or have already retired. In alphabetical order, they include Bill Bornhorst, a chemistry professor, who will retire  at the end of Fall Semester, 2000. He began teaching at Grossmont College in 1970. He was elected Distinguished Chair in 1986.

Among the classified are Patsy Colorado, Student Services Specialist-Assessment, who started with the district in June, 1979, and will retire December 29.

Naomi Krone, Community Learning Coordinator, started with the district in March, 1979, and retired September 1, this year, under STRS.

Sharon LaFollette retired this October. Sharon was a Personnel Specialist in the district annex and had been with the district from the beginning (1961). She had been invaluable over the years in providing personnel information that fleshed out numerous articles in our retiree newsletter.

Chuck Seymour also retired this October. He was the Director of Risk Management and had been with the district since 1969. He had been a strong ally of retirees for many of those years. His office oversees and funds the GCCCD Grapevine, and Chuck had served on or chaired committees concerned with retiree benefits.

With Lori Carter’s departure earlier this year from the Office of Risk Management and Lisa Scott’s promotion to another department, most of the staff who had been involved with retiree concerns in Chuck’s department have left. We owe them all our thanks for supplying us with the help and information that made our transition to retirement easier and more pleasant. Welcome, all of you, to the happy family of GCCCD retirees! 

   
Bill Bornhorst     Patsy Colorado    Naomi Krone       Sharon LaFollette   Chuck Seymour

Current CalSTRS Retirees to Receive Benefit Increase

Count your blessings, folks. If you’ve been retired for a while and have heard about all the benefit increases over the last few years for new retirees and then wondered if maybe you should have waited (never wonder--you did the right thing), this is good news. It’s a very rare thing, but now there’s a benefit increase for most of us who have already retired under STRS.

If you are a STRS retiree and retired on or before December 31, 1997, your monthly benefits are going to increase next year, thanks to the passage of Assembly Bill 429. The benefit increase varies in proportion to how long you’ve been retired, as follows: retirement date of 1997, 1%; 1995-96, 2%; 1990-94, 3%; 1985-89, 4%; 1975-84, 5%; 1974 or earlier, 6%. The benefit takes effect January 1, 2001, and is based on your benefit at that date. On July 1, 2001 you will receive a retroactive check for this new increase for the first six months, and your monthly checks thereafter will reflect that percent increase. This increase is automatic--just sit back and put another shrimp on the barbie!

Editor’s Comments
     
      by Tom Scanlan

Normally Gene Murray and I would alternate editorials but I asked if he’d let me write this one to close out the first year of the new millennium with a few year-end comments. And what year it has been. There was a revolution in Yugoslavia which finally overthrew Milosevic. The Middle East conflicts again flared up, drenching that region in blood and diminishing hopes of peace. A terrorist attack disabled one of our Navy’s newest warships, killing 17 and injuring 39 American military men and women. The stock market continued its wild swings, more down than up. The presidential race was one of the closest in recent history.

Speaking of presidential races, it might have been close but it wasn’t the most exciting in our history, at least up until the third debate. That says something about the candidates as well as the town-hall debate format versus lecterns and tables. It’s one of the first times, too, that I remember the pundits commenting that the two political parties had their running mates reversed on the Presidential ticket. I tend to agree. My own reaction, overall, is disappointment. I also agree with something Mark Shields said during PBS’s post third debate commentary. He said that both candidates stressed what they’ll give us if elected. Neither candidate has asked for much, if any, sacrifice from the voters for their country or countrymen. We miss you, Jack. I’d even go so far as to say, we’ll miss you, Bill.

If the world and national scene seemed a bit depressing at times, there were a few things happening which made this year special for me. My granddaughter Shelby learned to walk and to talk. My youngest daughter, Alison, got married. Funny how those two events make it easier to cope with the gloom of international and national problems.

Alison married a fellow alumni of UC Irvine, Blaine Thorne, on September 16 in the Rose Garden at the Hotel Laguna. Blaine is operations manager with a fruit import and distribution company in Newport Beach. Ali is presently a project manager for an environmental consulting firm in Tustin. We made quite a weekend of it, sharing the wedding festivities with my sister and Rosemarie’s brother (both of whom had flown in from New York), our other daughter Karen (matron of honor), my granddaughter Shelby (flower girl), and my son-in-law Mark (who all flew in from Louisville, Kentucky, where Mark teaches at the university). GCCCD retirees Lee Roper and Don Scouller and their wives, and numerous other friends and newly acquired family members also helped us celebrate this happy occasion at that lovely little seaside hotel with lots of food, drink and dancing.

Ali and Blaine then honeymooned, of all places, in Belize, where hurricane Keith extended their honeymoon by three days while it battered this tiny tropical retreat. They had to take their chances and drive across flooded roads and bridges to reach the airport after the storm subsided. Now there’s an exciting way to start the new millennium!

Old millennium, new millennium--the bottom line remains the same. It’s people--our family, our companions, our friends and our fellow workers (and retirees) who bring us those moments of pleasure that make it all worthwhile.                  
                                                      
                                          The bride and groom, Ali and Blaine                                                                                  

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

by Bob Steinbach

If you think you may have spotted a very slender Jack Miyamoto on the streets of San Diego, you may be right. Wayne Harmon ran into him on the boardwalk along the beach. He is now Assistant Superintendent/Vice President, Human Resource Services at Palomar College.

Dorothy Ledbetter is providing superior nesting material for birds in her area. They have beenmaking off with the lower four inches of each of her fiberglass window screens.

Jake Rasmussen thinks his data on the water level in Lake Mead suggests there are tides. It’s measured in millimeters, so he’s going to have to control for in-flow and out-flow.

Retirement has given Alan Campbell the time to finish the book he has worked on for so long (see article, this issue). The Human Predicament, An Introduction to Philosophy may be purchased through www.1stbooks.com

George Dillon has completed his 17^th year as a volunteer in the Pharmacy Department of Grossmont Hospital.

Marianne Escamilla has gone from volunteer work, to ManPower to consulting on Microsoft Office. She is also still active in the music scene and as full of enthusiasm as ever.

We should all have Gordy Shields’ love of life. He radiates joy and enthusiasm when talking about bicycling and was the featured spokesperson in an article on improving the Coastal Rail Trail between San Diego and Oceanside. (San Diego Union, August 22, 2000.)

Over 190 guests from as far away as London and Hawaii helped Vic Mendoza and his wife Julia celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary last summer. Congratulations Vic and Julia!

Here’s another "Can that really be …?" -- Shirl Collamer on the deck of the Star of India when it was at sea in October? Yep, it was, and she’s the envy of many a Grossmont sailor.

If you're looking for Van Vander Pol in the new retiree directory, you'll find him listed as Cornelius Poll. It's been 10 years since he retired, but he says he still wakes up in the morning saying, "(Chuckle), I don't have to go to work this morning!" 

Elections captured the attention of retirees gathered at Coco’s for the First Tuesday at Nine breakfast in October. Discussion will probably be more spirited in November, and when you get this, you’ll know if Nader had an effect on the result. Ever the journalist, Pat Higgins is as interested in the quality/effectiveness of the political commercials as the position taken.

Lee Hoffman takes a turn now and again as Dean of the Day for Saturday classes at Cuyamaca College.

Joanne Joseph claims that early summer is a great time to cruise the Black Sea and visit exotic ports. 

Bob Rump Honored for Exceptional Coaching    
                                                                                                        Bob Rump

Retired tennis coach Bob Rump will receive the highest honor bestowed in California Community College athletics at an awards banquet in Reno, Nevada on March 22, 2001. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Hall of Fame in 1997 (see Grapevine, July 1997).

Bob coached Grossmont College tennis teams for nearly 40 years, coaching the men’s team for 24 years leading them once all the way to state championship. When a women’s tennis coach left mid-year in 1987-88 he began coaching the women’s team and continued as head coach for 5 more years after he retired in 1990. In seven years he led them to four state championships! No other coach has led both men’s and women’s teams to state championships. Three of the four championships occurred after he had retired (!?) He continues to assist coaching the women’s team to this day. He surely makes the case that retirement doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines.

How We Celebrated 50 Years of Marriage

by Don Scouller

All in all, a fitting celebration of our 50 years of marriage.

Life on the Olympic Peninsula
by Gene Murray

Sequim, Washington, is a wonderful place to retire. About half of the residents are retirees. If you are thinking of moving to Sequim, Bob Springhorn’s daughter is one of the top real estate agents in the area.

A Trip to Lake Tahoe   
                                                 Gene Murray

Gene Murray and his wife, Sherry, recently visited Sherry’s sister Helen who lives in the Lake Tahoe area. Nancy, Sherry’s other sister, was there also, so all three sisters could visit together. Helen owns two cabins (real large houses) at Lake Tahoe. She rents out one and lives in the other. The following is a tale of a trip to Lake Tahoe.

The first day we went to the Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Center, where we went into a small aquarium and looked at all the little fish that swim in the lake. We also toured the Pope Estate. The Pope family used to entertain a lot. The main house is quite large with a big dining room. Small one-room cottages are built around the main house. Guests were assigned one of these cottages, but they all ate in the big dining room. The Pope children lived in a separate house, and were brought to the main house only by invitation. The kitchen is a separate building (can’t have those cooking odors permeating the whole house), and the prepared food was carried to the dining room through a covered walkway called the "whistle walk." The servants were required to whistle as they walked to the dining room, so that they could not sample any of food on the way.

The second day we sailed on the paddle wheeler "MS Dixie" to Emerald Bay, where the water appears turquoise in color. Unfortunately, the water was very calm, and no one got seasick. It’s more fun to see people hanging over the sides relieving themselves of their food.

The third day we drove around the lake. Many old, large houses built on the lakeshore have been turned into museums, and I think we visited all of them.

The fourth day we traveled to Genoa, Nevada, to attend the "Candy Fair." The whole town was turned into a giant craft show. The advertising proclaimed "over 300 booths"; it felt more like 1,000. We parked in a cow pasture (watch your step) and walked into town. Many people were carrying wrought iron weather vanes. These things were six feet tall. When we finally got to the booth where these weather vanes were sold, there was a long line of people waiting to buy. This guy must have made a mint at this fair.

That’s only four days, and we were there six days, but you can’t expect a senile old man to remember everything.

Biblio-files                   
by Tom Scanlan

Hillary and Jackie, Hilary and Piers Du Pre’ (Ballantine Books, NY, 1997) ***

This book, which tells the story of virtuoso cellist Jacqueline Du Pre’ reads like a novel but is actually part biography (Jackie’s) and part autobiography (Hillary and Piers). It is an amazing story. Jackie began to play the cello at age 5, encouraged by a mother who was a talented musician and teacher.

Her family life, a mixture of sibling rivalry and love, dominates her earlier years, showing her to be a precocious but difficult child. She was a musical genius but did not develop the social skills that would have made her later life much happier. At age 16 she made her international debut.

For the next ten years she played a demanding schedule of concerts in Europe and America, establishing a reputation as one of the finest cellists in the world. Her career then ended suddenly when multiple sclerosis caused her to lose the feeling in her hands. Fourteen years later she died from the disease.

Each of these three phases of her life showed her to be a person of extreme courage as well as talent. She was often unhappy in what most of us would call the normal day-to-day part of her life, ranging from school activities to marriage. But she played the cello with a passion that few, if any, have ever matched.

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen ( 1814) **

This is classic Jane Austen, where a disadvantaged young woman eventually wins. Fanny Price is sent by her impoverished parents to live with a wealthy aunt, in the hopes that she might find employment and schooling beyond her current prospects. She is treated as a second class citizen, especially by the two young girls who live at the estate to which she was sent. But the brother of these two girls, Edmund, treats her kindly and she falls in love with him (and he with her, though he’s not too clear on that at first).

Fanny grows from child to young woman, at which time two other relatives show up and greatly complicate her existence, a Henry Crawford and his sister Mary, a most unprincipled pair. Mary takes a liking to Edmund and Henry woos Fanny. Fanny is not interested in Henry, whom she immediately recognizes as a charmer without substance (and, it turns out, a womanizer). Mary is even worse, because it seems that she wishes to marry Edmund to inherit the estate, which can only happen if his older brother dies. This looks like a real possibility because of an illness. Edmund is ready to go ahead with the marriage and Fanny is sent back to her parents for scorning a ‘suitable’ marriage with Henry. Lots of conflict, but Jane Austen couldn’t let it end like that, of course.

The Liar’s Club, Mary Karr, 1995 ****

This award winning book and long-time best seller is for readers who enjoy a style of writing that describes circumstances so vividly that you begin to feel that you are in the story. The author is better known as a poet--and it shows. This is a memoir, mostly of childhood years in a small East Texas oil refinery town in the 1960’s. Her family is a dysfunctional mix of an older sister with a passion for order, an oft-married mother who is also an artist, and a hard drinking father with a kind heart who works hard (when he’s not out on the picket line), is quick to fight, and meets regularly with his cronies, the liar’s club.

You see all of this from a child’s viewpoint, a child who is at times bewildered by it all and at times shows great insight and courage. Her descriptions of people and events are marvelous. A grandmother you’re not likely to soon forget. A hurricane that nearly took their lives. Family fights that occurred so often the two young sisters assigned them numbers. Conflict with neighbors and officials. And story-telling sessions which young Mary was allowed to attend, where her father spun yarns with a conviction that made believers out of folks who knew better.

For all the tragedy in this family, the story is told with humor and love and you’ll find yourself liking these people and admiring this spunky kid who was raised in the midst of chaos and somehow emerged with insight and sensitivity as well as a major talent with words. There’s no particular plot, no grand finale. But the people and places are so vivid that you’ll remember them. It’s a hard book to put down.

Mickey Shelley recommends: Songs in an Ordinary Time, Mary Morris, 1977. This is the story of a divorced Catholic woman struggling to raise a family of three children in a small town in Vermont in the summer of 1960. A con man insinuates himself into their life, offering love and help but instead takes more than he gives, threatening what is left of this desperate family. Kirkus Reviews praises the book highly, comparing it to Dickens, because the author has constructed a world teeming with characters and incidents.

Mickey also recommended Stones From the River, Ursula Hegi, 1997. This is the story of a dwarf, Trudi, living in Germany during the two world wars. Her mother goes insane, having to live in a ‘earth nest’ beneath the family house and Trudi’s condition thwarts her wish to live a normal life. Her nightmarish journey through these times in this country magnify the horrors of Nazism.

Jack Holleran recommends Longitude: The True Story of a Genius who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, Dava Sorbel, 1996. That problem was how to accurately determine longitude. In the eighteenth century days of sailing ships and world exploration, ships and lives were too often lost at sea because the ship’s east-west position could not be accurately determined. This book tells the fascinating story of John Harrison, a clockmaker who finally solved that problem, and the difficulties he faced in getting his solution adopted. 

Alan Campbell Publishes Textbook   
                                                                             Alan Campbell

Alan has just published a first college text in philosophy, following more than ten years of labor on the project since the year he retired. The book, The Human Predicament: An Introduction to Philosophy, is a 314 page, ten chapter college text. The ten chapters range in topics from the philosophical approach to ethics, through the natural and supernatural, to politics, the social order and on to the meaning of life. The book is available at our campus bookstore, as a down-loadable version at 1stbook.com or in paperback at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.

In the book, Alan describes philosophy as follows: Whereas the sciences try to understand how the world operates, and how we can effectively interact with it, philosophy is preoccupied with questions about the significance (meaning) of it all.

...Philosophy is the nonscientific discipline which tries to make sense of the human predicament, which apparently has its origin in the genetic development of our conceptual capacity. We have looked at two major consequences of this: a great puzzlement in trying to understand the nature of external reality, and a nagging feeling of alienation.

Some very perceptive words. Congratulations, Alan.

Mary Wilson Dies    
                                             Mary Wilson

Mary was well liked. We will miss her