In December 2018, Michael Douglas ‘69 accepted the Bette Davis Lifetime Achievement Award from Boston University. Actor and producer, Douglas has most recently starred in the new Netflix show “The Kominsky Method.” It’s a comedy about navigating the ups and downs of getting older. He reflected on his career and his time at UC Santa Barbara in an interview with WBUR. He admits it was the “60s and [that] he was a hippie.” One day, Douglas was called into the chancellor’s office during his Junior year and forced to finally choose a major. “I said, ‘I don’t know man, maybe theater arts?’ My mother was an actress and my dad- but I had no interest, so I came to it reluctantly, and I wasn’t very good. Dad was the first one who came to see those first shows, and [he said], ‘You were terrible.’” Fortunately, Douglas still went on to pursue acting. Along with his recent award, Douglas has received six Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
1960s
Richard Serra ’61, a world renowned sculptor, has been named the 2018 recipient of the J. Paul Getty Medal. The award recognizes extraordinary contributions to the practice, understanding and support of the arts. According to the Award presenters, Serra “has created monumental works for architectural, urban and landscape settings spanning the globe. His sculptures and drawings have been celebrated with numerous major exhibitions including retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The New York Times described his MOMA exhibit as “a landmark by a titan of sculpture.”
Robert Kahan ’66 has been named a partner at Blank Rome LLP in Los Angeles. He previously worked at a top Los Angeles law firm. Kahan focuses his practice counseling middle market companies in the lifestyle industries, including restaurants, entertainers and merchandisers across a variety of corporate transactions. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Suzanne Somers Foundations. He received his JD from UCLA Law School.
Randall L. Englund ’68 was honored October 6th with the 2018 PMI Eric Jenett Project Management Award of Excellence. He is a BSEE graduate. This award recognizes and honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the project management profession or its practice through leadership, technical project management, and strategic and business management acumen.
1970s
Charles Newman ‘70 was elected Chair of the Montecito Planning Commission. He is also the Secretary and a Director of the Community Environmental Council in Santa Barbara.
University of North Carolina Chancellor Carol Folt ’76, MA ’78 has stepped down after tearing down a key part of a controversial confederate statue on the campus. Folt ordered the dismantling of the base of the Silent Sam statue honoring Confederate soldiers. (In August 2018 the statue was torn down by protestors but there had been a continued debate about its future.) Folt had served as chancellor since 2014 and the Silent Sam controversy was not the first for her. During her tenure UNC was cited by the NCAA for 18 years of academic abuses in the scheduling of “no show” classes mostly taken by UNC athletes. Folt defended the courses during the NCAA investigation and indicated the NCAA did not have jurisdiction in the matter. UNC spent $18 million defending the allegations which ultimately led to the NCAA not finding UNC culpable for rules violations but noted that there had been a lack of cooperation from UNC administrators. Folt’s removal of the Silent Sam pedestal brought condemnation from the UNC Board of Governors. The Chair wrote in a statement that the action “lacks transparency and it undermines and insults the board’s goal to operate with class and dignity.” She said the pedestal posed a continuing threat to campus security because of ongoing demonstrations at its site.
1980s
Al Kenrick ’80 a former board member of the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association, has been appointed head of middle-market banking in the Silicon Valley by Wells Fargo Bank. He leads a team of 30 commercial banking experts. His team’s focus will be on firms with more than $20 million in revenues that are outside the tech sector.
Mary Solis ’85 is retiring as a social worker for the Ridley Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara. In November the Santa Barbara Independent named her one of its “Local Heroes.” In 2004 she received the lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Social Workers.
Dr. Michael Perri ‘88, MA ‘93 was awarded The 2018 Distinguished Faculty Award. He is a Texas A&M University-Texarkana Professor of History. Dr. Perri earned both his Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History and German and his Master of Arts degree in Latin and Iberian Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Keith Lemieux ‘89 was named San Gabriel’s City Attorney advising the City Council on all legal matters pertaining to the city. He graduated with a BA in Political Science from UCSB and a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine Law. He has an extensive background in representing government entities with an emphasis on governmental law.
1990s
Congressman Salud Carbajal ’90, has been named vice chair of one of the more powerful committees in the House of Representatives, the Transportation and Infrastructure committee. Committee Chair Peter DeFazio said he was looking forward to working closely with Carbajal on legislation involving investments in U.S. infrastructure. The Committee has jurisdiction over a number of areas, including the Coast Guard, regulation of marine ships and small crafts, the Highway Trust Fund, flood control, federal management of disasters, and oil pollution in the ocean and inland waterways.
Also receiving a plum assignment was Congressmember Jared Huffman ’86, who was named chair of the House subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife. Huffman had been a ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. As chair of the subcommittee he will have oversight of the government agencies that manage America’s water resources, hydropower development and federal transmission lines. It also manages and oversees domestic and international fisheries. Huffman represents the Northern California Congressional district centered in Santa Rosa.
Peter M. Williams ’91 Govenor. Jerry Brown appointed Williams to the Yolo County Superior Court. Williams had served as the deputy secretary and general counsel of the California Department of Business, Consumer Services and Housing since 2016. From 2001 to 2016 he held various positions with the state Department of Justice and the state Attorney General’s office. He also worked as a special federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District. He received his law degree from the University of San Diego.
Stephen Davis ‘93 is the Managing Director, Wealth Management for The Davis Group at UBS Financial Services Inc. The Davis Group has been ranked #47 in California by Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors.
Wendy M. Behan ‘94 was appointed to a judgeship in San Diego County Superior Court by Governor Jerry Brown. Behan earned her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her law degree from the California Western School of Law. She was president of California Women Lawyers from 2014 to 2015 and of the Lawyers Club of San Diego from 2010 to 2011.
Kevin Brodehl ’95, has been named a Northern California Super Lawyer by the Thomson Reuters rating service. Brodehl practices in Oakland with the law firm Wendel, Rosen, Black and Dean. Brodehl’s specialty is real estate law.
Michael Young ’97, a star baseball player at UC Santa Barbara, has been nominated for the MLB Hall of Fame. This was the first year Young was nominated and not elected to the Hall of Fame. He is the career hits leader of the Texas Rangers.
Kelly Yip-Chuan ‘97 has been elected to the Milpitas Unified School District Board of Trustees. She was the top vote getter in the November 2018 election. She had previously served as a substitute teacher and volunteer in the school district. She is president-elect of the Milpitas Rotary Club and was named a community hero by Assemblymember Kansen Chu.
2000s
Steve Aoki ’01, who has created a global demand for his DJ skills, was featured in the Nov. 25 edition of the New York Times. The Times asked the globe trotting Aoki what he can’t travel without. His response: a pillow and three computers. He notes that he does not pack extra socks or underwear because they take too much room. He adds fresh socks and underwear to his performance contract wherever he is playing. He lives in Las Vegas and does 200 to 300 shows a year, according to the Times.
Tara Burnley ‘01 was featured by the Santa Barbara Independent for her extensive restoration work in larger mansions in Montecito. She has also worked on public art at a number of restaurants and hotels in Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. She joined Augustine Painting in 2012 to work on restoration projects and also works as a marriage family therapist.
Andrea Cardani ’05 was recognized by Who’s Who Legal as the top arbitration expert witness in its “Future Leaders” award category. Andrea graduated from UC Santa Barbara with an MA in Economics. Who’s Who Legal praised Mr. Cardani for his “deep knowledge of economics” and “excellent and persuasive written reports.”
Lisa Manning MA ’05, Ph.D ’08 has been named by Science News as one of the top 10 scientists in the world to watch. Manning is an associate professor of physics at Syracuse University and studies glassy materials to understand embryonic development. She did her post doctoral work at Princeton. The nominations were made by Nobel laureates and recently elected members to the National Academy of Sciences. All are under age 40 and were selected for their potential to shape the science of the future.
Devin Rauchwerger ’07 has joined the labor and employment law firm of Fisher Phillips in Los Angeles. Rauchwerger has been listed as a “Rising Star” by Southern California Super Lawyers. He received his law degree in 2010 from USC.
Lauren Drake ’07 was elected as a partner at Irell & Manella LLP. She earned her B.S., with high honors, in biochemistry and molecular biology from UC Santa Barbara. She has deep experience representing clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She was also named to the Southern California Rising Stars List in 2018.
Oprah Winfrey has chosen a company founded by Mark Gustafson,’09, Jason Lam ’11 and Matt Soares ’11 to be among her “Favorite Things of 2018.” The trio founded Story Bikes, an electric bicycle company dedicated to philanthropy. For each Story Bike sold, the company donates a new “Buffalo” bicycle to children in Zimbabwe. Recently the company donated 120 bicycles to the community near Victoria Falls. The Buffalo bikes can carry up to 220 pounds and are used for transportation to school and to carry water and produce. Winfrey picks just over 100 businesses each year as her “Favorites.”
2010s
James Rogers MA ’12, Ph.D ‘14 announced that Apeel Sciences, of which he is Founder and CEO, was entering into an agreement with Holland-based Nature’s Pride to fight food waste in Europe. The two companies will co-brand a label for avocados in Europe indicating sustainability and freshness. Apeel has developed a technology which applies organic materials to avocados and other fruits thus dramatically increasing their shelf life. Rogers developed the material while studying Materials Science at UCSB. “Food waste is a massive global problem and with a strategic leader like Nature’s Pride we can look to a future where there’s much less waste in the system and we can advance sustainability together,” Rogers said.
Alan Williams ’15 has been named to the midseason All-NBA G League team. Williams is currently on a “two way” contract which has him playing most of the time for the G League Long Island Nets, but also on the roster of the regular NBA Brooklyn Nets. In the G League Williams is second in the league with rebounds and set a Long Island Nets record with 25 rebounds on Dec. 16. He has only played in three games for the Brooklyn Nets this season. At UCSB Williams was a standout basketball player known for his easy nature and dominating play.
J.D. Slajchert ’18 will donate the proceeds from his first published novel to the victims of the Woolsey Fire in Ventura. His novel, “MoonFlower,” is a coming of age book that draws on Slajchert’s real life experiences.
In Memoriam
1940s
Marjorie K. Wyatt ’48 died April 16, 2018. She received her BA from UCSB and went on to get her California Teaching Credential. Marge had a powerful commitment to children, education, and community service.
1950s
Bernard W. Paulson ‘50 died February 17, 2019. He attended the Riviera campus of Santa Barbara College.
George Frank Thornburgh ’52, died November 29 in El Cerrito, CA. He was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi at UCSB and graduated with a math degree. He served in the armed forces from 1954-56 and went on to teach math and algebra for 42 years at Willard Jr. High and Berkeley High School.
Robert Miller Christofferson ’52 died November 5, 2018 in Redding. Christofferson was student body president at UCSB and after receiving a master’s in public administration from USC, served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He served a long career in local government, serving as the city manager of San Dimas, Covina, Salinas, Fresno and Redding.
John “Jack” Richard Baum ’52 died November 27, 2018 at age 90. Jack was a teacher for 35 years at Hollenbeck Junior High. In 1946, he enlisted in the army and served until 1948. He married his sweetheart Lillian Hampton and had one daughter.
Margaret Ann Weber ’54 died in 2017. She got her degree in education and was a member of Phi Beta Phi sorority. Margaret was involved at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach for 50 years.
Marvin Milton Maxwell ’55 died Feb. 20 in Santas Barbara. He designed and developed many homes in Santa Barbara as the owner/president of Arco Construction Co. and Jack’s Kitchens. An avid tennis player, he played in USTA tournaments up until he was 88 years old.
Edna E. Bauer,’58 died February 7, 2018 in Santa Barbara. After graduating from UCSB she earned her masters in education from UC Berkeley in 1963. She taught in schools in Santa Barbara and Alaska. She later became a real estate agent in Santa Barbara from 1979 to 1999.
Jane Carlisle ’59, MA ’70 died November 23, 2018 in Santa Barbara. She was a licensed psychologist and worked in the UC Santa Barbara Counseling Center for more than 40 years, retiring at the age of 70. She then worked part time for Behavioral Health in Santa Barbara.
Ray Ward ’59, MA ‘63 died on May 2, 2018 in the Bay Area. He was a former board member of the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association. He worked for many years in municipal government and eventually managed the Oakland Coliseum for many years. After retiring from that job he worked as a consultant in the stadium management business.
Cynthia Ann Harris ’59 died December 7, 2018 in Santa Barbara. She was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and active in the Junior League. She devoted her career to starting and building retail businesses in antiques, landscaping and women’s clothing.
1960s
John Reynolds Van Atta ’62 died April 15, 2017 after battling Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. John began his career at Carnation and later joined Quaker Oats. He created the wine label Los Cinco Locos with five of his neighbors.
Barbara Ann Sudduth Baine ’62, MA ’65 died May 30, 2017. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry as well as her Masters in Chemistry at UC Santa Barbara. She met her husband when they were graduate students and married him in 1962.
Je Goolsby ’62 died Jan. 26, 2019 in Santa Barbara. He was an active member of the Mountain Drive community in the 1960s but lost his house in the Coyote Fire. He had a long career as a commercial graphic artist and spent much of his life painting, sculpting and writing.
Ada Mary Babine ’63 died November 28, 2019 in Santa Barbara. She spent 40 years as an elementary school teacher and teacher trainer in the Goleta Unified School District. She was active in the Audubon Society and the Santa Barbara Museum and served as president of the Museum League.
George “Tom” Weismann ’66 died November 2018 in Pasadena. He served in Vietnam and the Philippines during a four years tour of service with the U.S. Air Force. His degree was in economics and he became a tax accountant in Temple City, CA.
Karen Quigley ‘68 died October 30, 2018. She graduated from Palm Springs High School, UCSB, and USC for graduate school. She became a school administrator in Long Beach Unified School District until 2004 when she retired.
Kendall “Boyd” Grant ’68 died November 9, 2018 in Lompoc. He worked for many years as a social worker in Los Angeles. He helped found the United Pier and Shoreanglers of California, a non-profit which improved the life of pier fishermen. For many years he was the guardian, caretaker and host of the Goleta Pier.
Dennis L. Thomson ’69 died October 6, 2018 in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the UC Santa Barbara, and spent the rest of his career in academia.
1970s
Joseph Charles (Joby) Nunez, ’71 died January 20, 2019 in Santa Barbara. He played football for the Gauchos his junior and senior years. He received his teaching credential from UCSB in 1972 and went on to teach at Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara high schools. He served as assistant principal at San Marcos High School and Dos Pueblos High School.
David Jay Fishman, MA ’71 died July 3, 2018 in Santa Barbara. He received his BA from Pomona College and his PhD from Claremont Graduate University. He joined the UCSB Graduate division in 1986. He received the Getman Service Award and the Staff Citation of Excellence for his counseling work in the Graduate Division. He retired as Director of Graduate Academic Services in 2004.
Nancy Anne Greene Frisbie ’71 died October 13, 2017. She received her degree in Home Economics from UCSB and went on to get her Teaching Credentials as well as two Masters in Curriculum and Development and Counseling. She taught in Southern California and then moved to Oahu, Hawaii to continue teaching.
Fredric Joel Rosenberg ‘71 died February 26, 2017.
Barbara Swindall ‘71 died February 12, 2019 at Little Balboa Island, San Diego. She had a 30-year career in real estate. She started her career as a teacher in Palos Verdes for 13 years before moving to real estate.
David M. O’Brien ’73, MA ’75, Ph.D ’77 died December 20. 2018 in Virginia. After graduation O’Brien served as a Supreme Court fellow and then as a research associate for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger. He went on to teach political science at the University of Virginia where he became one of the foremost scholars of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mark Hawtrey ’78 died January 16, 2019 in Santa Barbara. He worked for Exxon Mobil as a plant operator of the Las Flores Canyon oil processing facility retiring in 2015. He was an avid surfer.
1980s
Michael Pina ’81 MA ’86 died November 20, 2018 in Bakersfield. He attended Santa Clara Law School and received his law degree in 1991.
Linda Kay Raney ’85 died November 7, 2018 in Santa Barbara. She worked on the Administrative Services staff at UCSB for 24 years. She was also a licensed Marriage Family Therapist for more than 30 years.
1990s
Steven Philip Barger ’90 died September 9. 2018 in Santa Barbara. He received his BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and met his future wife, Geri, their first year while forming a rock band. After working for Dreamworks and IBM in Los Angeles, he moved back to Santa Barbara and worked for QAD, Citrix, and LogMeIn.
Shane Gabriel Hernandez ’95 died November 27. He obtained a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and practiced civil and family law in Washington.
Lisa Kathleen Purvis ’98 died February 15, 2017. She received her degree in Environmental Studies, and went on to work in the tax field.
In Remembrance: UCSB Staff, Students, and Community Friends
Virginia “Ginny” Braley died May 15, 2018 at the age of 90. She was a founding member of the Junior League of Orange County and a founding member of The Decorative Arts Society. She attended both Pasadena City College as well as UC Santa Barbara.
Garrett Rae Lindemood died August 8, 2018 in Bexar County, Texas. He had junior standing at UC Santa Barbara and was majoring in history.
Jacob Israelachvili, a professor emeritus at UC Santa Barbara, died September. 20, 2018 in Santa Barbara. He joined the UCSB faculty in 1986 in the Chemical Engineering Dept. From 1993-2003 he was the associate director of the Materials Research Laboratory. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996.
Daphne Bugental died November 25, 2018 in Santa Barbara. She earned her BA and PhD from UCLA. She joined the UC Santa Barbara faculty in 1974. She retired in 2011 and continued to teach seminars. She chaired the Psychology Department and helped found the Interdisciplinary Human Development emphasis.
David Victor Hinkley professor emeritus in the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability, died January 11, 2019 in Santa Barbara. He joined the Statistics Department in 1995 and served as chair from 1995-2002. He authored many books and articles, including the widely accepted graduate textbook “Theoretical Statistics.” He retired in 2014.
Professor Emeritus Wallace Chafe died in February 3, 2019 in Santa Barbara. Chafe was a professor of linguists who authored more than 230 books, articles and other publications. He received his BA, MA and PhD from Yale University and joined the faculty at UCSB 1986. As a emeriti faculty member he received the Panunzio Distinguished Emeritus Award, the highest UC honor for emeriti faculty. He did extensive research into Native American languages and was honored for that work in Europe in 2005.
Thomas C. Bruice who taught and did research in the UCSB Chemistry Dept., died February 15, 2019 in Santa Barbara. Bruice received his PhD from USC and went on to teach at Yale, Johns Hopkins and Cornell. He joined UCSB as a professor of chemistry in 1964 and in 1995 became a research professor. Bruice was a pioneer in the field of bioorganic chemistry. Among his many awards were the Linus Pauling Medal, the Tolman Medal, the James Flack Norris Award and the National Academy of Sciences Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Chemical Sciences. His wife Paula is on the Chemistry Department faculty and is a former board member of the UCSB Alumni Association.