In Memoriam

Elsie Whittaker '47 - October, 2021

who served for many years as the co-chair of the Riviera Reunion, died Oct. 20 in Southern California. She was a member of the sorority that eventually evolved into the Pi Phis. Her major was music and she served on the Associated Students board as its secretary. She was known as the heart and soul of the Riviera Reunion, the reunion of alumni that attended college on the Riviera campus.

Richard "Dick" Williams '59 - September, 2021

was a founding trustee of the UC Santa Barbara Foundation, a founding member of the Chancellor’s Council, a former president of the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association, and was the only person to ever receive two Distinguished Alumni Awards in one year, one for business and one for service to the university in 1974. Mr. Williams also started the first alumni chapter outside of Santa Barbara, in Los Angeles, and was the first alumnus of UC Santa Barbara to represent the campus as an observer to the Board of Regents in 1974, a prelude to becoming a full member. On the board, he served as secretary of the Foundation and on the investment and finance committees. He also served as vice chair and board chair from 1998- 99.

Jennifer Leigh Blankenbeckler '98 - August, 2021

died on August 9, 2021, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. She graduated from UCSB in 1998 with a degree in Communication. She worked in the Sansum Clinic at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara as a medical assistant in the Palliative Care Department.

Larry Clark DeSpain '63 - August, 2021

passed away on August 1, 2021, peacefully at his home in San Francisco with his family at his side following a nine-year battle with a tumor gastrointestinal stromatolites (GIST). Larry was predeceased by his parents Alma DeSpain and father Robert DeSpain, brother Allen DeSpain and his first wife Faye Hobbs DeSpain. Larry attended UC Santa Barbara, graduating with a BA in History. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and served a term as chapter secretary. In 1974 he was transferred to San Francisco and it was here in the Bay Area he met his wife Phyllis. Larry was the chairperson of his 50th class reunion at UC Santa Barbara a reunion made notable by the class gift that was the first endowed scholarship of any graduating class. He is survived by his wife of the past 39 years Phyllis McElwee DeSpain, sons Kevin and Kent (Dawnell), and grandsons Hudson and Maxwell, numerous cousins in Missouri and his longtime feline companion Duey.

Josephine Millett '52 - August, 2021

died Aug. 27 in Santa Barbara. Her career included teaching, social work and administrative support. She retired as a computer programmer at UCSB. She served on the executive board of the UCSB Retirees Association, was a member of the Golden Arrow of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, and a charter member of the California Zeta Chapter of the Pi Beta Phi. She won numerous awards for her flower arrangements.

Jim Clendenen '76 - May, 2021

was a winemaker and the owner of Au Bon Climat, a winery based in Santa Maria, California. Clendenen began his winemaking career working at Zaca Mesa Winery for three vintages. He was one of the most important vintners in Santa Barbara County history, an influential force on the international wine scene, and a legendary bon vivant known for crafting both world-class wines and long, epic lunches. He died in his sleep over the weekend. He was 68 years old.

Walter R. Harper '69 - May, 2021

passed away at the age of 101. He was a research scientist with Anacapa Sciences in Santa Barbara until his retirement in 1998. He fought in WWII with the British Army in the Tank Corps. He was a proud participant in the battle of El Alamein and attended the 50th Anniversary in Alexandria, Egypt.

Kevin Takeo Taniguchi '90 - April, 2021

loving husband and father of two, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 53. Kevin was born on February 21, 1968 in Los Angeles, CA to Takao and Maile (Tsukimura) Taniguchi. He received his Economics degree from the University of California Santa Barbara, and worked in customs compliance and logistics for over 20 years. During the “Summer of Kevin” in 2013, he met his wife, Maria Cristina (Cricket) Limlingan and they married on June 12, 2015. They raised two daughters, Hanna Mayumi and Emi Tala in Seattle, WA. Kevin is survived by his wife Cricket, their two children, Hanna and Emi, his parents, Takao and Maile and his brother and family, Kyle, Claire and Lucas.

Elizabeth “Liza” Mary Rindge-Peterson '88 - January, 2021

died January 27 in Torrance, CA. She was a Publicist for CBS, Warner Bros., and Lifetime Entertainment, before becoming Vice-President of Entertainment Press and Publicity at NBC Universal. She also worked as an independent Consultant in the industry. In recent years she was Vice-President of Mesmer Properties, a company founded by her grandparents.

Betsy Anne (Nevitt) Robanser '73 - December, 2020

born August 24, 1950 died on December 27, 2020. A beloved sister, Betsy Nevitt earned a BA in History with Honors and saw being a graduate of UCSB to be an honor in itself. She passed away in Bellingham, WA where she raised her 2 sons. Her passion for history, decency and compassion for her fellow man is the legacy of her education and family.

Alessandra Baer Beck '09 - December, 2020

Alessandra graduated from Carmel High School in Carmel, CA and earned her BA in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009. During her time at UCSB she was a member of the Associated Students. She was also involved in the Environmental Affairs Board and started a group called From Soul to Sunrise, which brought together different people from the community to encourage discussion through a speaker series.

Following her graduation, Alessandra worked for a women’s clothing designer in Santa Barbara and later returned to Carmel.

Alessandra married her husband, Jon Beck, in 2012 in Carmel, CA. They built their family, moved between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and settled back in Carmel together in 2020.

Alessandra leaves behind her three children, Vivianna (11), Anton (9), and Julian (7), husband Jon, mother Kathleen, and four siblings, Nik, Andreas, Beau, and Caronne, and their families.

Jack Fox '69 - December, 2020

died in Rancho Mirage, Ca. Fox was the former executive director of the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association from 1978-82. He started his career at UCSB in the Recreational Sports department and went on to become associate director of the Alumni Association in 1972. After retiring from UCSB he served as executive director of the Chico State Alumni Association. In 2019 he was honored by the Alumni Association as one of the “Legends of the Family Vacation Center” for his work in turning the Vacation Center into an ongoing, successful program of the Alumni Association.

Irma (Goggia) Rennie '50 - December, 2020

passed away on December 29, 2020, at the age of 91, in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Junior High Education. She would later become a substitute teacher for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. She was also a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She was married to Charles Rennie Jr., the love of her life for 59 years, who preceded her in death and was the loving mother to three children, Charles, Richard, and Cathy. She will forever be missed.

Peter Aleman Jr. '22 - November, 2020

died Nov. 3 in Pleasant Hill, CA. He was a junior transfer student majoring in Political Science.

Suree Gould '76 - November, 2020

died Nov. 4 in Santa Barbara. A theater arts major, she was active in children’s theater in Santa Barbara. She worked for many years in the Cottage Hospital residential treatment program and later earned her masters in psychology from Antioch University.

Richard "Dick" Jensen '06 - November, 2020

died Nov. 29 in Santa Barbara. He served in a number of administrative and consulting roles for the University of California. He came to UC Santa Barbara in 1964 as an assistant dean of students and eventually became the assistant chancellor for planning and analysis. He held that role until 1990 when he took the job of associate chancellor at UC Santa Cruz. He retired in 1999 but spent many years as a consultant for the Office of the President reviewing system budgets and finances. In 2005 he was asked by Chancellor Henry Yang to become interim executive director of the UCSB Alumni Association, a position he held for two years. He also did consulting work for the University of Illinois on their capital budget and planning. He was very active in community affairs and a prolific philanthropist. He served on the Board of Directors of the Community Environmental Council and later as a member of their President’s Council. He received his undergraduate degree from Washington State in 1959 and his master’s degree in economics from the University of Washington in 1964.

Geoff Jewel '07 - November, 2020

died Nov. 12 at Campus Point on the UCSB campus. He was the work desk manager in the Bren School and had worked at UCSB since 1996. He graduated with a degree in paleobotany and environmental studies. For many years he led trips for the UCSB Adventure program that involved climbing, ocean kayaking and canyoneering.

Jayden Quinn Lotz '21 - November, 2020

died on Nov. 6 in Bakersfield. She was a senior majoring in economics and accounting.

Chad James Thondos '21 - November, 2020

died Nov. 5 in San Mateo, CA. He was a fourth year majoring in Film and Media Studies.

Penelope “Penn” Borden '85 - October, 2020

died Oct. 10 in Santa Barbara. She received her BA and MA in history from the University of Montana in Missoula. Lecturer Emeritus in Spanish and Portuguese Esperanza

James Thomas Huebner '99 - October, 2020

died Oct. 5 in Santa Barbara. He received his degree in American and Iberian studies. He lived on the Hollister Ranch for many years and was a well known local surfer.

Mary MacRae '91 - October, 2020

died in Santa Barbara on Oct. 26. MacRae was the office manager for Alumni Affairs and the manager of the Mosher Alumni House. She handled the hundreds of reservations for Mosher and oversaw the operations of the building. Previously she had been the Executive Director of Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, which hosted numerous community theater productions. She had a long career in the Santa Barbara theater community after her graduation with a degree in English.

Joan Swanger '56 - September, 2020

died Sept. 14 in Florida. She received her degree in early childhood education and taught kindergarten for more than three decades in private and public schools in Florida. She was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority.

Judy McKee '66 - September, 2020

died Sept. 2 in Santa Barbara. In the 1990s McKee created a successful Brentwood boutique, Alison. It featured American folk arts and crafts gathered from around the U.S. After Alison closed McKee worked at UCLA in their Slavic Languages and Literatures department. When she returned to Santa Barbara she worked at the UCSB Art Museum and was a longtime supporter of
the Women’s Fund.

Thomas Lindsay Peters '73 - September, 2020

died Sept. 5 in Laguna Beach. He spent his entire career in environmental planning at CH2M in Portland, Ore. He retired as the Senior Vice President of the Western Region for CH2M. He was a supporter of the Bren School and helped reform national organ transplant policies. His family has established the Tom Peters Memorial Fellowship Fund.