GCCCD Grapevine

Volume 13, Number 3                                                Grapevine Home                                                November, 2003

Grossmont College Named "Best of San Diego" 

(excerpted from Grossmont College Campus Scene, Aug./Sept. 2003)                     

Readers of the San Diego Union Tribune (SDUT) confirmed what students have been telling us for years. They selected Grossmont College as the "Best Of" category in the schools section of their 2003 Reader’s Poll. The poll is strictly managed by the newspaper’s staff, who receive the paper ballots readers clip out and mail in. According to Teressa Fenn of the SDUT, more than 3,000 ballots were received, which are carefully checked to avoid any ‘ballot stuffing’.

"Coupled with the fact that Grossmont is the number-one transfer college for students moving to San Diego State University, being named "Best" by SDUT readers is especially meaningful", said Grossmont College president Dr. Ted Martinez. "-it is gratifying to know that the wider audience appreciates the value we bring to the community."

Grossmont College is now entitled to use the San Diego’s Best logo.

Editor’s Comments
            
                  By Bob Steinbach    

I can remember the event that made me realize I was a racist. It was in the mid-60s, the height of civil rights movement. I wasn’t a radical, but I supported the movement, so I couldn’t be a racist, right? A newspaper photo of a white cop holding a black woman on the ground disturbed me. Then, in my mind’s eye, I put a black face on the cop and a white face on woman and I was stunned to find a whole new uncontrolled revulsion well up in me. I was a racist. It was a life-altering experience.

In 1971, I spent six weeks hitch-hiking through Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. As I picked up cultural clues and adapted to the accommodating attitudes, the surroundings became comfortable. Shortly after moving on to Greece, I got off an inter-island ferry and saw a black face in the crowd and felt an emotional sense of relief at seeing a friend – but I didn’t know him. What was going on here? There was something deeper than race – the facial color seemed to be a trigger for me to reach for a familiar and pleasant cultural experience in an unfamiliar setting.

Black visitors to my white church report feeling uncomfortable when asked to return and we beat upon ourselves for not being a "welcoming" church. Frankly, I feel uncomfortable in a Black church in spite of the friendly rapport. Shoot, I feel uncomfortable at a Catholic, Mormon or Episcopal service. It’s an unfamiliar cultural setting. I’m sure John Williams felt the same thing when we went to Kathy Braun’s funeral. After the service John asked me, "Are all white funerals like that?"

It was a kick in the pants to be a part of the Sanchez-Williams-Steinbach administrative team. We were always interpreting our individual cultures to one another. Why are L.A. blacks angry about Latinos moving into their neighborhood? Isn’t that an attitude that Blacks condemn? What the heck is wolfin’ about? "Sorry, Dick, the dominant second language at Grossmont College is Vietnamese, not Spanish."

I remember discussing affirmative action with a black faculty member who decried our failure to hire a Black since a given date. I said, "What about Mr. X and Ms. Y?" The answer: "They’re not black!" Skin pigment is hard to mistake, so it’s not about skin color, it’s about culture.

Misunderstandings and conflicts based on culture are too often identified as racist. Yes, racism exists within every racial group, but I think the vast majority of us are confounded by "culturism", not racism. "Culturism" is the source of epithets like "Oreo" and "Apple." I recognized my racism and dealt with it, but I have been unable to convince myself that preferring to be in familiar cultural surroundings makes one a bad (immoral, intolerant) person.

Skin color can not be changed, but culture, like language, can be learned, understood and accepted as needed. It was creepy to walk alone at night in narrow darkened streets in an unfamiliar Latin American seaport, but familiarity and new friends soon took the fear out of it. The characteristics of a second culture must be learned, just as we learn a second language, to move comfortably from familiar to unfamiliar settings.

The world is full of hot spots because language and culture are less and less inclined to follow national borders; are less and less buffered by oceans, rivers and mountains. Our mobility has thrown our divergent cultures against one another. One person’s familiar and accepted culture can be another’s barbarism. As I said above, seeking comfort in one’s culture is acceptable to me, but injecting one’s culture into an inappropriate setting for whatever reason is certain to create an undesirable reaction. Our global village and our multicultural nation demand that we show mutual understanding and respect for a variety of cultures even though we are thrown off balance by the unfamiliar. The evil is in judging and attacking a different culture whether at home or abroad.

(editor’s note: E. M. Forster’s novel, A Passage to India, reviewed in this issue’s Biblio-files, addresses this very issue. It illustrates the clash between English and Indian, as well as Moslem and Hindu, stressing the discomfort and misunderstanding that each of these factions have of the other.)                                                                                                                                                    

Five Retired Faculty Awarded Emeritus

                     
Dr. Jerry Humpert        Charlie Hyde                  Pete Larson      Dr. Annjennette McFarlin         Sam Turner
Cuyamaca College      Cuyamaca College        Cuyamaca College         Grossmont College        Cuyamaca College

Five of our retirees were honored by the GCCCD board with the award of emeritus (or emerita, in the case of female retirees). Dr. Annjennette McFarlin, who was hired by the Grossmont College Speech Department in 1978 was awarded Emerita in January of this year. She had retired in December of 2002. Four faculty from Cuyamaca College were awarded Emeritus this May. They include Dr. Jerry Humpert, Counseling Department since 1978, retired December, 2002; Charlie Hyde, hired 1968, retired June, 1999 from Business Department; Pete Larson, hired 1974, retired December, 2002 from Drafting Technology Department; and Sam Turner, hired 1977, retired June, 2001 from the English Department.

                                                  (click on any photo bordered in blue to enlarge)

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

(Editor's note: It is with deep sadness and sympathy that I report that Bob and Virginia Steinbach, along with many other San Diegans, lost their home in Tierrasanta to fire which swept through that area on October 26. Because these fires occurred just before Grapevine went to press, we hope to provide our readers a more complete account of retirees who suffered fire damage in the next issue. Please help us by contacting Bob Steinbach or me if you have information concerning retirees impacted by those devastating fires (fire map). ts)

Virginia and I cruised the Erie Canal, Finger Lakes, Mohawk and Hudson Rivers and Lake Champlain in August on the same ship the Scoullers took from Chicago to Rhode Island (Grapevine, July 2003).

We were saddened to learn that Barbara Chernofsky lost her 11-year battle with cancer on August 10 at her La Mesa home. Chair of Grossmont’s Department of Child Development and Family Studies, she joined the Grossmont faculty in 1989 and carried a full load through last Spring. Faculty, Staff and retirees remember her energy permeating her academic work and extending into the community where she founded Advocates for Better Children, Inc. She authored seven books on child-care and received an "Unsung Heroes" award in 1989. She was 54.

  Jack Borgos and Liliane own and manage a large apartment complex in Old Town where Jack has been involved in community service. He served for a number of years as chair of the Old Town Community Planning Committee and sits on Mayor Murphy's Design Review Board. His design for an Old Town Entry Monument has been erected, the first of several at various entries. He keeps busy, thankfully healthy and always in good spirits.

   Ed and Susan Carrigan sold their home and moved to their condo in Carlsbad. They’re living out of suitcases while some major renovations take place.

  Wayne Harmon and Peggy participated in an October weekend bird count on San Clemente Island. The Navy flew the Audubon club members out on a Friday, ferried them around to various counting locations by helicopter and then flew them back on Monday.

  Bob James and Helen took a 14-day cruise to Alaska, round-trip from San Francisco last summer. In October, they cruised round-trip from San Diego to Gatun Lake, Panama – half way through the canal. Between trips, they like to hang out at their cabin in the Lagunas.

  Margaret Kuhn returned to Marion, Indiana, and is living near Laurie, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. It was hard to leave Jodi, but the majority of Margaret’s family is in Marion.

  Rob Larson and Florence have made 18 round trips across the country by automobile in the past, using every imaginable route. Last Spring, they made a 4700 mile north-south tourist trek from Tombstone to the Valley of the Little Bighorn. Last summer, they completed a road trip in Alaska, which means they have now driven in all 50 states.

  Millie McAuley brought her fiance, Gordon Jackson, a retired lawyer, to the September Second Tuesday Breakfast and introduced him around.

  Chuck Park and Dorothy bussed around Spain for two weeks in May and then spent a week on the Spanish Costa del Sol. It’s a kick to hear a chemist carry on about the cultural character of a country.

  Lee Roper and Barbara continue to explore the world in detail. They spent two weeks in Spain in October.

  Tom Scanlan and Rosemarie cruised from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, Canada with Lee and Barbara Roper in August. They were each partly celebrating their upcoming 45^th anniversaries, which are only two weeks apart. They foot-toured the towns of Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan.

  Don Scouller and Joan cruised from California, through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean in October.

And from our Grapevine Guest Book on the web –

"I just visited this web site while researching our benefits at GCCCD for a National University class project. I absolutely love it...and as a current employee at Grossmont College, I didn't know until I read the current Grapevine issue that we have a new Benefits Technician."
              Joann Carcioppolo, Administrative Secretary, Math, Nat. Sci. & Ex. Sci. &WellnessDivision    

       Ernie Neveu Now Marketing His Wines

Ernie Neveu retired from the biology department at Grossmont College in 1992 and set out a few years later to start his own vineyard in the Shasta Valley of northern California (See Grapevine, Oct. 1998). Last year he built a small winery on his property (see Grapevine, Nov. 2002). Although he has produced wine in previous years and won a number of prizes, this year marks his first full-scale, on-site production. The following is excerpted from Ernie’s latest October updates:

"This last harvest we took in about 11 tons. This represents about 4/5 of our potential, mainly because I'm pruning so we get about 2 1/2 tons per acre rather than 3 to 4 tons. I'm learning so much each harvest on ways to improve the quality of the wine. Right now our marketing mantra is VALUE!

We started selling our wine about a month ago. Sales have been pretty good, mainly to restaurants here and in Redding. I haven't started going gung ho on the marketing because of the harvest and fermenting but I'll start the big push before the holidays. Right now we have the following wines available:

1. 2002 Pinot gris - Great golden-copper color, unfiltered with good orchard fruit nose $7.00

2. 2000 Late Harvest Zinfandel (15% alcohol) really great. I didn't make this wine but I bought it because I played in the vineyards the grapes came from as a kid. $10.00

3. 2002 Tempranillo - Spain's answer to Merlot. Good up front nose. $12.00

4. 2022 Vino Bello* - Blend of Zinfandel and Nebbiolo. Outstanding $15.00
*The blend varies according to what is on the vines. Ordinarily it would be 50/50 between Zinfandel and Nebbiolo. This year it consists of Zin, Nebbiolo (major portions), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. From the nose that comes out of the tank it's going to be a killer. We'll get about 2 to 3 barrels or about 60+ cases.

There’s a standard 10% discount on case purchases. We ship via UPS but only in the fall and winter months when it is cold.

We feel that we have better value in terms of price and wine quality than any wine in California. This is not just our opinion. Most knowledgeable people tell us that we should charge more for our wine. We won't because we feel that value is not just in price alone. There is value in drinking the wine with your friends and with good meals and that is reduced if one charges too much. Right now we have around 800 cases of wine either bottled or in oak aging. That's plenty to keep this old guy jumping. Our original goal of a 2,000 case winery has been adjusted to 1,500 cases. We need time to enjoy drinking wine with our friends."

Ernie can be contacted at 4839 Ager Road, Montague, CA 96064 Tel. (530) 459-3906
    e-mail: pnoir@jeffnet.org                                                                                                                 

      Ivan Jones Lands the Big One                   

As you can see from the enclosed photo, the salmon were running this year. The BIG one, however, got away. This one weighed out at 38 pounds. It was a fight to the death and it almost won—it reminded me of wrestling out a budget!

The salmon was a King and it was caught trolling from a boat. I was up in Alaska and went fishing with my son. He is a harbor pilot up there. We caught nine Kings (the big ones) and a bunch of smaller pinks and other types of salmon. We professionally had half filleted and half smoked. I sent more than 150 pounds home frozen. It was great, but of course I don’t do a lot of fishing in Alaska. I do fish and catch silvers here from my front yard on Puget Sound.

Say hello to old friends for me—if I can make it I hope to come down to El Cajon sometime this winter. If you can use this picture, please do. If not, at least chop my head off and use it instead of that 28-year-old relic in your files.

Best wishes—Ivan

(Ed. note: Ivan Jones, retired president of Grossmont College, 1990, is not the first retiree to suggest that we use an updated picture. So, dear readers, if you send a letter or an article and would like to use a different photo than the college files, send it along.  But please don't ask me to chop your head off.  Sorry, Ivan.)

Bibliofiles:
      
  by Tom Scanlan
(click on bookcovers to enlarge; click on title for Amazon.com reviews or purchase)

  Atonement, Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese-Doubleday, 2001)****

This novel is about point-of-view and the power (sometimes destructive) of young girl’s imagination, unfettered by sexual worldliness. Thirteen-year-old Briony observes her older sister, Cecilia, in what she believes is a compromising situation with a young man, Robbie, the housekeeper’s son, who has just graduated from Cambridge. Briony had a childhood crush on Robbie and feels betrayed. She also witnesses the apparent rape of her older cousin , who is staying with her family. This took place at night, outside, and the perpetrator fled when Briony came upon the scene, but she’s convinced that it was Robbie, and her cousin supports her in this belief. Robbie is convicted and sent to prison on the basis of Briony’s eyewitness testimony.

Shortly thereafter, England declares war on Nazi Germany and Robbie is released from prison to serve in the infantry. He is caught up in the ill-fated retreat from Dunkirk and the novel now focuses on this defeat and Robbie’s feelings about the war and for Cecilia. Back in England, both Cecilia and Briony have become nurses, and are preparing for the thousands of wounded soldiers being ferried across the channel from Dunkirk by a fleet of mostly private fishing vessels. During this same time, Briony discovers that she has made a horrible mistake about Robbie’s involvement in the rape of her cousin. She realizes that Robbie and Cecilia are deeply in love and that her testimony has ruined their lives. How can she possibly atone for her misdeed?

Clearly, this is primarily a coming of age story and a crime story, but it’s also a magnificent telling of the heroic, often tragic evacuation of the English troops from Dunkirk. The author’s informed and vivid description of how England’s nurses trained for and dealt with that disaster is reason enough to read this excellent novel.

  Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (Perennial, 2001) ****

If you haven’t heard of this book, you’ve been hibernating somewhere. It’s been on the bestseller lists for years now, counting both hardbound and paperbound titles, and Amazon.com named it as one of the best of 2001. Although it’s non-fiction, it often reads like a novel because Schlosser, a correspondent for Atlantic Monthly, uses personal anecdotes throughout the book. I was reluctant to read it when it first came out because I’d never been into fast food much anyway, and figured it was just another book putting down fast food and the way Americans eat. Once again, it was one of my daughters (Alison, the youngest of my two) who recommended it and even loaned us her copy.

I was happily surprised. First, I learned some interesting history of southern California (the birthplace of fast food, naturally), where and how McDonald’s originated, and likewise for the other chains such as Burger King and Wendy’s. The book is based on a huge amount of research and was much more informative than I’d anticipated. There are over sixty pages of notes in the back of the book, as well as an excellent bibliography and a very useful index.

There’s a strong sociological theme throughout, showing how the fast food industry not only thrived on suburbia, but in fact drove the development of suburbs. Much of the way many of us now live, much less eat, has been affected by the fast food industry. You also learn a great deal about the industry itself, (you won’t believe how potatoes are shredded into French fries by being fired from a modified water cannon) and some health and labor practices that may lead you to swear off fast food altogether. There’s also some fascinating material on the role of food psychologists who use some of the exotic chemicals developed for the perfume industry to make fast food more appealing to our smell and taste buds. He also discusses many of the topics you’d expect in such a book such as the way advertisements are slanted toward children, the obesity problem in America and the role of government agencies such as FDA. Because fast food is such a prominent feature of our culture, whether or not you indulge in this kind of food, you should read this book. It says a lot about our nation.

  The Little Friend, Donna Tartt (Knopff, 2002) ****

Donna Tartt wrote her first novel, The Secret History, about murders at a small Vermont college, ten years ago and it soon became a cult classic among college students. The Little Friend is her second novel, and takes place in a small Southern town, where old plantation mansions decay and most of the people live near the poverty level. The main character is Harriet, a twelve-year old tomboy who is antisocial but very bright and endowed with an overly vivid imagination.

Harriet was only a baby when her nine-year old bother was found hanging from a tree in the family’s backyard. Twelve years later, her mother is still in shock, her father has essentially abandoned them, and her older sister won’t discuss it. Harriet decides to play detective and sets out to find the murderer. With the help of a classmate, Hely, an ardent James Bond fan, she narrows her search to a redneck druggie, Danny Ratliff, whose family deals in drugs and lives in the worst part of her small southern town. What follows is a dangerous series of misadventures during which she plots and then tries to carry out the murder of Danny Ratliff and is very nearly the victim of a murder herself.

The story is told from various points of view, usually Harriet’s, but sometimes Danny’s, as well as some of the other characters. In places it might remind you of To Kill a Mockingbird where family values and social strata are important; in other places there are shades of Stephen King and even Faulkner. It’s a long novel and begins rather slowly, meticulously setting the scene and rounding out the characters, but the pace picks up and you’ll reach a point in the novel where you’re willing to skip a meal or go to bed later than usual to see what happens next.

  A Passage to India, E. M. Forster, (Reader’s Digest, 1989) *****

This novel is claimed by many to be Forster’s best. I can’t vouch for this because I’ve not read all of his novels, but I have to say I doubt if the others could be better than this one. Written in 1924, it is remarkably prophetic about India’s future secession from English rule and even partition into separate Moslem and Hindu states. What makes the novel timeless besides the beautifully written story are issues of class and race and the persistent problems of relationships between people whose religions are as diverse as Christian, Moslem and Hindu—and especially the relationships between the opposite sex of the colonialists and the colonized.

The story is told from various points-of-view, sometimes those of an Englishman or Englishwoman, sometimes that of a Moslem Doctor Aziz, sometimes from those of his Moslem or Hindu friends, and often from an independent- minded Englishman, a Professor Fleming at the local college. The plot focuses on the relationship between Dr. Aziz and an Englishwoman, who is new to India and wishes to learn more about the country from this enlightened and most eager Indian doctor.

Dr. Aziz organizes an elaborate picnic trip to the famous caves of Marabar, supposedly inhabited by spirits and spooked with strange echoes. The day is unusually warm, members of the party become separated, and the Englishwoman believes that the doctor tried to assault her in the confusion and darkness of one of the caves. He is arrested and brought to trial, which soon becomes very politicized. The simmering animosities between the English colonialists and their Indian wards erupt into chaos and near revolution as the trial progresses and the bias of the judge and witnesses becomes all too clear. What follows tests long-standing friendships and highlights the social and national differences of the many characters in this story.

 Retiree Obituaries

  Lee Engelhorn died at his home on the morning of July28, 2003. He was born in Churches Ferry, N.D. on September 19, 1922. He was a decorated Air Corps veteran of World War II and an ex-POW (see Grapevine, July 2003). After the war, Lee earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of North Dakota. He was a professor of earth science, geography and meteorology at Grossmont College from 1961 to 1990 and was awarded Emeritus after his retirement. His wife, Ruth, died last year. (For more about Lee, please see Wayne Harmon’s "Some Thoughts About Lee Engelhorn" in this issue.)

  Jim Hilton died July 21 of a heart attack at the Southwestern Yacht Club at the age of 66. He was born in Los Angeles but moved to San Diego at the age of seven. He joined the Grossmont College Math Department in 1981 and retired as chairman in 2002. Some of you may recall that he took a leave of absence in the early 1980’s to go into business as a founder, with two other partners, of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Durango, Colorado. Still active in the yacht club, he took up a new hobby, the piano, just a few years ago. A Civil War buff, he donated 19 boxes of Civil War books to the Grossmont College library.

Those who knew Jim well speak fondly of him. A longtime friend, Ralph Hayes, who taught with Jim before Grossmont College, had the following to say, "He was the nicest person to be around--always funny, optimistic, a real lover of life and the best friend anyone could want.  Jim went out of his way for just about everyone.  You called him and he was there.  You needed something--he had it.  If he didn't have it, he would help you get it--many times he would get it and bring it to you! 

Jim was a great storyteller and had an opinion on everything. He loved surfing, bike riding, sailing and hunting.  No one enjoyed playing more!!! Jim had a strong, moral character and had high expectations from the people around him.  There is a huge emptiness and profound sadness when we wonder why Jim was taken from us so soon.  He had so much more to give, live and love."

  Oliver Nyman died Sept 28. He was born in Minnesota on March 1, 1914. He joined the district in 1967 and retired from the district as a maintenance supervisor in 1981 (editor’s note: My apologies for such brevity. Notice of Oliver’s death was received only a few days before this edition had to be finalized, and because he retired a long time ago, it was not possible to find out more than appeared in his SDUT obituary.)

  Bob Peck, 75, passed away on November 2, 2003 as a result of complications related to congestive heart failure. From 1971 until his retirement in 1986, Bob taught in the Business Department at Grossmont College, where he coordinated the Marketing and Retailing program, and established the International Business program. After his retirement, he organized a variety of lecture and film series for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca College of Extended Studies.

Bob was born in Dallas, Texas on November 23, 1927, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. He was educated at The Menlo School, San Mateo High School, Stanford University, and the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. He served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, and as a member of the U.S. Diplomatic Service. For over two decades, he lived and worked in Mexico as an executive with Woolworth de Mexico. In the 1970's, he served as a member of the vestry at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. He was a Past President of the San Diego Jung Club, a member of Rotary International, and an avid supporter of Stanford University sports programs.

Bob was a keen student of history, and a seasoned world traveler. Bob's greatest interest in life was traveling. He delighted in introducing his favorite places to his favorite people. Be it Paris, Mammoth, or anyplace in-between, Bob could always be counted upon to be an eager and erudite tour guide. In addition to travel, Bob's great interests were movie trivia, and collecting landscape paintings. Bob was a modern Renaissance man, and he will be sorely missed by the many people whose lives he enriched. Gifts in his memory may be made to the Robert E. Peck Scholarship, and mailed to Howard Kummerman, Director, Grossmont College Foundation, 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon, CA 92020.

(Thanks to Bob’s long-time and closest friend, Gene Morones, who teaches ESL at Grossmont College, for the above)

  Harry Schorsch, born in Illinois on March 23, 1925, passed away on August 17. His wife, Viva, had predeceased him this January. He served in the merchant marines and was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was hired by GCCCD in 1967 and retired in 1988 from a supervisors’ position in District Operations.

After his retirement, Harry wrote a book about his adventures in the merchant marines (see July, 1991 Grapevine). He was so proud of this work that he visited campus and distributed free copies to staff members he knew well. He did more than write books; he supported readers of books by working as a Friend of the Santee Library and by displaying model ships that he had built at various local libraries.

Harry and his wife loved to dance and both eventually became good enough that they become ballroom dance instructors.  

Some thoughts about Lee Engelhorn

~Wayne Harmon~

It’s ironic that Lee Engelhorn and I had to go halfway across the country, to meet. We were both attending a Summer Institute for Advanced Study in Geography at the University of Iowa in 1965—the hottest summer in decades. We’d been lent a huge floor fan, so fellow attendees living in the steamy dorms came over to our apartment to sit in front of the fan aimed at our baby’s crib.

Peg and I liked Lee immediately. He had that Mid-western demeanor of trust and honesty—Lee was from North Dakota. He stayed for dinner a couple of times and told us about his family. He was our daughter’s first babysitter.

Lee hired me to teach a part-time class in 1966, and I was hired full-time in 1967, becoming Lee’s office partner. Lee had gone through a rigorous teacher-training program at the University of North Dakota and taught in high school, and he brought that training to Grossmont College as a member of the original staff. Sharing an office with him for 23 years was a continually calming, learning experience, and talking to him about teaching was like taking a John Dewey education class.

"Clean up your handwriting on the blackboard and erase what you are not using."

"What’s the take-home lesson?"

"Buttress (He liked that word.) your lectures with a handout."

"Break up the lesson with an activity. Get the students involved."

"A good visual is better that talking about it."

Lee’s laugh is the sound I remember, besides his speaking voice. That sense of humor and his unshakable goodness and honesty remained solid in the face of challenges that would have embittered a less powerful man. Students profited from Lee’s methods and his example. They spent productive time with him in class and during office hours, and left Grossmont College more competent citizens.

(Editor’s note: I wasn’t as close to Lee socially as members of his department, but we socialized some at the faculty picnics in the mid-60’s at El Monte Park. Rosemarie got to know Ruth while our kids played and Lee and I pitched horseshoes. I soon realized that Lee was a ‘straight arrow’, a Jimmy Stewart sort of guy--and that character trait, along with some common interests, was the origin of a friendship that I cherish to this day.

A few years ago we were both diagnosed with prostate cancer and we often shared our ideas and research on the variety of therapies available. Because Lee’s wife, Ruth, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about the same time Lee found out he had prostate cancer, he chose to postpone a curative therapy and started a hormone treatment, hoping to retard the progress of his cancer. Shortly after Ruth’s death late last year, Lee discovered that his cancer had metastasized to several other parts of his body and that it was now too late for curative therapies such as surgery or radiation. He had, in effect, literally sacrificed additional years of his own life because of his love and concern for Ruth. That’s the kind of guy Lee was. ts)

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