GCCCD Grapevine

Volume 11, Number 3                                                                                         November, 2001

Grossmont College Celebrates 40 Years

The Grossmont College Foundation threw a 40^th anniversary party in the Student Center at the College on October 20, 2001. Given the theme, the annual fundraiser was kicked up a notch this year. Those who arrived early were able to scout out the best of the hundred-odd donated treasures during the silent auction held on the east patio of the student center.  Inside, the tables were colorfully prepared for an elegant dinner and the after-dinner fun of a live auction – the big ticket items.  The Campus Student Center was transformed into a "grand ballroom", seating 320 people. Attendees were served a gourmet three-course meal catered by Chef Joe Orate and the Culinary Arts Department. The Grossmont College Foundation raised nearly $40,000 from the Gala, which was sponsored by Barona Casino.   
       Checking out items for the silent auction                                              Gourmet table settings add to festivity
 
                       Gala decor sports a fall theme                       Auction helps raise funds for Foundation (photo, J Dixon)

A reception for retirees in the Griffin Gate preceded the main event, where many old friends were engaged in animated conversation. Eleven of the original 1961 faculty and staff swapped stories of the Monte Vista days. 

  Standing, L to R: "Charter members" Bob Rump, Ray Resler, Ned Darby, Tom Hepp, Art Fitzner, Lee Roper, Larry Coons.   Seated, L to R: George Washington, Shirl Collamer, Trudy Bratten, Bob Holden.

Other retirees photographed at the reception include L to R, starting at the top: Arlene and Dick Mellien, Joanne Prescott, Trudy Bratten, Ray Resler, Tom Hepp, Ned Darby; Row 2: George Washington, Bob Holden, Neil Towne, Bobbi Towne, Erv Metzgar; Row 3: Lee Roper, Shirley Jones, Dick McMinn, Larry Coons, Barbara Collis, Sam Ciccati; Row 4: Pat Higgins, Paul Epler, Shirl Collamer, Art Fitzner and Bob Rump. Click to enlarge

Eddie Parris and Julia were also at the reception, as were numerous spouses.  We offer many thanks to Joanne Prescott for arranging the successful reception.  (story and photographs by Bob Steinbach, except as noted)

Eleven More Retire

Five certificated and six classified GCCCD employees have retired this summer or will be retiring at the end of this calendar year. We welcome them to our ranks and wish them many happy and fulfilling retirement years. Click pictures to enlarge

Ginger Azhocar, Multimedia Tech, Grossmont, 1978-2001

Jim Barr, Maintenance Supervisor, District, 1986-2001

Zella Barr, Purchasing, District, 1988-2001

Branch Cox, Chem, Bio & Physics Tech, Grossmont, 1968-2001

Julie Feneis, Bookseller, Grossmont, 1981-2001

George Murphy, Counselor, Cuyamaca, 1972-2002

Donald Patterson, Art Instructor, Grossmont, 1966-2001

J. D. Rogers, Athletic Facilities Attendant, Grossmont, 1977-2001

Ronald Sherrod, Music Instructor, Grossmont, 1973-2002

Claudia Thompson, Counselor, Grossmont, 1974-2001

Gloria Verduzco, Financial Aid Tech, Cuyamaca, 1991-2001

 President’s All Staff BBQ Attended by More Than 20 Retirees

Grossmont College president, Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr., hosted college staff members and retirees at a lunch hour barbeque on August 13 at the Science Wing quad area. The main entrée was delicious barbecued chicken fajitas, accompanied by several side dishes, salad, cold drinks and ice cream, as well as a generous slice of 40^th Anniversary cake. It was one of those warm August days but the open tent tops kept everyone comfortable and the ice cream from melting.

Retirees attending included: Bill Bornhorst, Howard Donnelly, Roberta Eddins, Lee Engelhorn, Art Fitzner, Bill Givens, Dave Glismann, Bob Holden, Dave Lunsford, Millie McAuley, Dick Mellien, Erv Metzgar, Ken Nobilette, Chuck Park, Bob Rump, Tom Scanlan, Clarence Scott, Gordie Shields, Joanne Silva, Bob Steinbach, Gene Sumner and Elaine Wolfe
                                           
                                          Retirees Chuck Park and Erv Metzgar after a splendid lunch

                     District Appoints New Director of Risk Management
        
        Bob Eygenhuysen
Mr. Robert (Bob) Eygenhuysen was appointed as the new Director of Risk Management this July. This district postion was held for many years by Charles (Chuck) Seymour, who has been temporarily directing the Risk Management/Benefits office from time to time since his retirement in October, 2000. This is the office which, among other things, provides various benefits for retirees and has sponsored an annual retiree breakfast for many years. It also provides the budget and mailing support for the newsletter you are reading.

Mr. Eygenhuysen comes to us from the City Colleges of Chicago, where he has over twenty years of experience in the field of risk management. He’s not new to this area, however. He earned his Law Degree at Cal Western in 1975 and worked at Legal Aid in San Diego County for two years. He is looking forward to working with retirees and retirement issues and is eager to resume the retiree breakfast (see notice below) and meet those of us who have already retired.           ts

Annual Retiree Breakfast

at Coco's (intersection of Navajo and Fanita roads)
on Thursday, November 29 at 8:45 AM.

  The breakfast is hosted by the GCCCD Office of Risk Management.  Please be on time.

Editorial Comments:

by Bob Steinbach

When Tom Scanlan suggested I become an Assistant Editor of the Grapevine, he hinted that I could write an editorial now and then. That almost killed the deal because editorials usually spout deep, intellectual, articulate, liberal positions and none of those adjectives apply to me. Even claiming the moral, ethical or spiritual high ground takes more unbridled enthusiasm than I can muster. I found my digital Webster more encouraging:

editorial noun (1830)

a newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers; also : an expression of opinion that resembles such an article

Just an opinion, eh? Let me start off with a mild one – maybe I’ll work up more courage later.

During the last year and a half that I have been gathering information for the Driftwood articles, I have been impressed by the number of retirees who are involved in volunteer work of some sort. I hesitate to list them here for fear of missing someone. Also, I know there are others of you who haven’t found time to share your experiences with us. I hope you will soon, because the variety of opportunities continues to amaze me and I know that other retirees would love to learn about your interests beyond what they remember about your occupation. My interests? -- a couple of church committees, the Grapevine and a seat on the Alumni Association Board of Directors at the University of Redlands.

Even simple volunteer work can be time consuming but one of the beauties of being retired is the ability and freedom to shop for the right volunteer niche. If you find a particular position does not fit your time or talents, or perhaps your enthusiasm for a given cause has worn thin, it’s easy to move on or simply take a vacation. The checks from STRS or PERS keep rolling in at the first of the month.

The rewards of volunteerism are the joys of good health, opportunities for social interaction and a certain amount of self-satisfaction and pride. In the spirit of the season, I’m thankful to be associated with people who are so willing to give back to the community. May your joys multiply during the coming holidays.

                             Bill Bornhorst Awarded Emeritus
                           Bill Bornhorst

At their June 19^th meeting, the Governing Board of GCCCD conferred the status of Emeritus on Grossmont College chemistry professor and recent retiree, Bill Bornhorst. Grossmont College president Ted Martinez, Jr., presented a plaque and described some of Bill’s many career honors and achievements, including his securing a $25,000 National Science Foundation grant and winning the 1998 regional Catalyst Award from the Chemical Manufacturer’s Association. His award brings the total number of district emeriti to 38. Congratulations, Bill!

Biblio-files                          

By Tom Scanlan

Have you read a book lately that you believe other Grapevine readers might enjoy?  Send your comments or reviews to tom.scanlan@gcccd.net 

Those of you who read lots have probably been ‘hooked’ by certain authors and found yourself reading three or four books in a row by that author. Or maybe you find yourself looking for a biography of the author. The following three reviews all relate in different ways to one author, Virginia Woolf.

REMINDER:  Click on bookcovers to read other reviews   of this book at amazon.com.
The Hours, Michael Cunningham (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, NY, 1998) ***

Highly praised in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly, this novel went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel follows the lives of three women in three different times and locales. One woman is Virginia Woolf in England in the 1920’s when she gets the idea which inspires her to begin writing Mrs. Dalloway; another woman is Clarissa Vaughn, a modern day version of the Clarissa in Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, in New York City at the end of the 20th Century; and the third woman is Laura Brown, a woman facing a life crisis, in Los Angeles in 1949.

The book begins with a chilling reenactment of Virginia Woolf’s suicide, imagining her thoughts and actions during her final day when she walked into the local river, her pockets filled with stones, and drowned herself. The following chapters alternate from one woman to the other but there is a continuity within the three stories, which converge at the book’s end. Clarissa Vaughn’s chapters parallel those of Clarissa in Mrs. Dalloway. As in Woolf’s book, the entire story takes place in a single day. She is giving a party for her oldest love, a poet dying of AIDS.

Laura Brown is pregnant, has just had a terrible experience trying unsuccessfully to bake a cake for her husband, feels like a failure, is reading Virginia Woolf and even contemplating suicide. She rents a room (A room of one’s own?) to continue reading Woolf. Her story, too, takes place in a single day.

If all of this sounds dark and gruesome, it really isn’t. These are women facing what they consider very serious decisions, and dealing with them in their own ways. It is a very different sort of read, no single, simple plot but instead a parallel course of events that are connected. I’d certainly recommend reading Mrs. Dalloway first, but it’s not essential; The Hours is enjoyable in its own right.

While we’re on the subject of Virginia Woolf, I always wondered about the title of Albee’s play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were marvelous together in the film version). When I first decided to read one of Woolf’s books, I chose The Waves, and failing to get through the very disconnected prose in that unusual and experimental book, I thought I’d solved the mystery of Albee’s title. It was only later that I discovered Woolf’s other novels, which are much more accessible, and really began to appreciate that she was a woman ahead of her time. One such novel is also her first, The Voyage Out.

The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolf (1915) ***

As in all of Woolf’s books (and many other authors, too), there’s considerable autobiography in this novel. The story centers on a young woman, Rachel, who has led a rather sheltered, middle class life in London. Now she is sailing to South America in the care of a more enlightened aunt and uncle. Much of the novel is social satire on the mores of social class and gender in the England of this period. But Rachel is also on a voyage of discovery, learning about herself and about her feelings for others, especially several young men she meets in South America. There’s lots of witty dialogue and those inner thoughts you’d expect of a naive young woman as she tries to decide which of the two young men she prefers. She does finally choose, but don’t expect a ‘happily ever after’ ending.

Woman of Letters; A life of Virginia Woolf, Phyllis Rose (Oxford U Press, 1978) ****

Finally, if you are still afraid of Virginia Woolf, I have to recommend to you this amazing biography by Phyllis Rose. The book is out of print, unfortunately, but it’s worth a trip to the library or an internet search if you’d really like to read an outstanding biography, beautifully written and fun to read by a woman scholar who has done extensive research on Woolf. I’ve read other Woolf biographies but this one stands out. It’s a reader’s biography, with a chapter on each of Woolfs major works, yet follows the chronology of a standard biography, with lots of interesting photos. If you’re not a fan of Virginia Woolf now, you might be by the time you finish Rose’s book. In fact, you’ll be a fan of Rose’s. This woman knows how to write, to bring the reader into the story, so I would recommend this book to you even if you knew nothing of Virginia Woolf.

Driftwood

by Bob Steinbach

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

The jig is up. When I started this column almost two years ago, I decided to invent a character and make his adventures more and more outrageous until someone finally asked, "Who is Jake Rasmussen?" The Grapevine staff came close when they were looking for his picture. Tom Scanlan even commented, "I don’t know him." I should have realized that the question would come from a source that required minimal effort; yep, Virginia looked up from the last issue and asked the question. So, here is the last you’ll hear of Jake.

By hitch-hiking two-thirds of the length of the Pan American Highway instead of flying, Jake Rasmussen was able to travel to Lake Titicaca with no cash outlay other than meals. The Darien Swamp in Panama was a problem, but he was able to hitch a ride from Panama City to Guayaquil on a 55 foot private yacht whose owner was hoping to get permission to visit the Galapagos Islands. Jake has leased a palapa at the south end of the lake and has begun to record tidal data.

                                        (Note:  Click on any of the following pictures to enlarge)

Joanne Silva’s planned trip to Europe to visit her daughter Carolyn was canceled after her military base in Germany was locked down following the events of September 11.

In May, Joan Smith spent a wonderful week in Marbella, Spain (part of Costa del Sol) at a lovely resort on the Mediterranean. She had a beautiful cottage on the hotel grounds, flowers everywhere and great meals. Her second week was spent in Calla D'Or on the island of Majorca. The hotel was located on a cove with a white sandy beach. The water was very clean and not too cold. During the two-week holiday, Joan visited Gibraltar, Tangiers, the famous La Alhambra in Granada, the Cathedral & Episcopal Palace in Cordoba and the magnificent Cathedral and the Lonja in Palma, Majorca. Many other side trips rounded out a great and memorable vacation.

Most of you know that Gordy Shields is an avid bike rider. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, he will ride his bike in the Tour de Tucson. He says it’s one of the best organized bicycle events in the U. S., but it sure does tie up traffic in Tucson.

Erv Metzgar is working at Alliant International University (née USIU or Cal Western) supervising student teachers in high school. Every visit makes him glad he chose a career in post-secondary education. (Photo of Erv and Chuck Park at the President’s Luncheon in August elsewhere in this issue.)

Don Shannon is doing much better after his recent move to Beverly Manor on Lake Murray Blvd. 24 friends (mostly retired faculty) threw him a birthday party on October 17 and lifted Don’s spirits.

Lee Englehorn spent five days in Gainesville, Florida, at his squadron reunion of the 15^th Air Force. Lee was a radio operator/gunner in a B-24 until he was shot down over Austria and spent some time in a POW camp. About 50 people (including wives and children) showed up for their 33^rd get-together. One of the most meaningful contacts for Lee was with the son of Lee’s original pilot.

Tom and Rosemarie Scanlan’s first grandson and second grandchild arrived September 13, 9lbs, 3oz, 21 3/4". Tom reports that his youngest daughter Alison and his son-in-law Blaine are each taking credit for Alexander Thomas Thorne’s long eye lashes. At any rate, he’s a beautiful baby.

Bob and Virginia Steinbach’s daughter, AnnaLisa married her high school sweetheart of 10 years on August 25. The wedding was at Founders Chapel on the USD campus and the reception was on the William D. Evans, cruising Mission Bay. Jeff Zorn is a resident at University Medical Center in Tucson and Anna works as a physical therapist at the Tucson Medical Center. Both have finally returned their parents’ credit cards.

We were just back from a nephew’s wedding in Austin, TX, and headed for Tucson when we ran into Elaine Wolfe at Lindbergh Field. She had just returned from grandmother duties in New York and was headed for Albuquerque where Burt was at a conference.

A Whistleblowers Handbook by Louis Hansotte   (self-published January, 2000) was recently named as the Book-of-the-Week by the Association of Fraud Examiners. The handbook deals with the processes and procedures by which a person with first-hand knowledge of fraud perpetuated against the government may institute legal action in his or her own name. Louis taught business law and real estate law part-time for 30 years in our district before retiring in 1995.

Trudy Bratten is settling into Tennessee life in a private section of her son Ray’s house just south of Nashville. When she’s not traveling, she very much enjoys being a grandmother to Ray’s three children.

Art Fitzner and Wilma were on a two-and-a-half week cruise on the Dnieper River in the Ukraine when the world came unglued. By the time they got to Sevastopol on the Black Sea, things has settled down enough that they were able to get home without altering their plans. It was hard to find a place in the world that they haven’t visited. Copper Canyon is next.

STOP PRESS:  Don Scouller and Joan recently returned from a trip to China.  Also, a flyfishing trip to Alaska mesmerized Wayne Harmon.  We plan to include full articles on both trips in future issues of the Grapevine.

Ray Reynolds, G.C.’s first journalism teacher, died July 22 of complications following surgery for a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He had entered Kaiser Hospital the previous day.

Reynolds was working for the Fresno Bee in 1961 when he was invited to join Grossmont’s first faculty. He accepted, and taught journalism, then mass communications and film courses with Don Scouller until he retired in 1983. During his journalism days he organized the student newspaper, The G. That title survived until both Reynolds and his successor, Pat Higgins retired; then it became The Summit.

Ray was born in Newfoundland, now Canada, but a British colony then. He moved to New England when he was 5. In education, he got his bachelor in English from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. and a Masters in English literature from Occidental in Los Angeles.

In addition to the Fresno Bee, Ray had worked for the New York World Telegram, the Lewiston, Idaho Tribune, and the Hartford Courant.

During World War Two, he served in North Africa and Italy, mostly on the staff of the Army newspaper, Stars and Stripes. After the war he returned to Germany as a civilian editor for the Stars and Stripes. One of his wartime colleagues was Lionel Van Deerlin, later a San Diego congressman.

Reynolds wrote several books. Probably the most widely known was Cat’spaw Utopia, the story of attempts to establish a utopian colony on Mexico’s Pacific shore. The attempts were largely unsuccessful, though one success was the Copper Canyon railroad which still takes visitors through the storied scenery below the border. Ray’s book was published in 1972, and republished in 1996. Another book which drew widespread attention was California the Curious, which told of our state’s eccentricities and oddities, human and nature’s. Kevin Starr, one of California’s best known historians, was particularly enthusiastic, about the book and about Reynolds’ work.

In retirement, Ray spent considerable time in acquiring and selling old and rare books and papers. For a time he ran a used book store in El Cajon, which he called "The Patchy Fog."

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Mary Claire, and his son, Christopher, whose reportorial beat is the world, as the senior travel writer for the Los Angeles Times.                        By Pat Higgins

Leo Bridgeford

Leo Bridgeford died at his home in Joplin, Missouri on January 2, 2001, after a long illness. He had moved there from California six years ago. He was born January 13, 1934 in Decatur, Arkansas.

Leo served with the U.S. Marines during the Korean Conflict and was awarded five battle stars. He was employed by the Grossmont Community College District in 1966 and retired as Director of Maintenance in 1995. He was also a professional cabinet maker and was awarded an honorary cabinet door designing degree by the state of California.

Leo was a devout member of Harmony Heights Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School for many years.

Leo is survived by his wife, Ramona, whom he married in 1952, and by two sons, a daughter, a brother, two sisters, 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

      Happy Holidays to All!