2000s

2000s

  • Portrait of Carlos Illingworth.Carlos Morales Illingworth (’04) was elected president of the Cal State L.A. Alumni Association, and is the youngest person to hold the position of leadership in the organizations’ 56-year history.
  • top

1990s

  • Portrait of Michael Cross.Michael Cross (’96 MBA) is the new vice president of finance and administration at Johnston Community College in Smithfield, North Carolina. He had previously served as the assistant dean for finance and business for the College of Agriculture and Life Science at N.C. State, and as the director of financial services at Cal State L.A.
  • Sergio Diaz (’94), a former deputy chief of operations in the Central Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department, was named chief of the Riverside Police Department.
  • Christopher Greco (’93, ’95 MA), an assistant professor of music at Benedictine College in Kansas, is directing the Kansas Jazz Collective concert series initiated under his direction. He was also recently honored as being a “Jazz Musician of the Day” by the worldwide online source for jazz music, allaboutjazz.com.
  • Steven Harris (’91 MS), the former director of the Global AIDS Program for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Haiti, was appointed as the medical director-health authority for Dallas County Health and Human Services.
  • John Matheus (’98 MA) left La Salle High School in Pasadena after 31 years working on campus as a teacher, coach, athletic director and vice principal.
  • Portrait of Mohamad Saatara.Mohamad Saatara (’97) is the assistant coach for the University of Michigan’s men’s track and field team. The former CSULA All-American will oversee all field events for Michigan.
  • top

1980s

  • Portrait of Jo Buczko.Jo Buczko (’80, ’98 MS), a Pasadena City College student health services coordinator, was honored by state legislators with the “Women in Business Legislative Award” at the 11th annual luncheon. The award celebrates those who contribute to the greater good of the workforce through the advancement of business and serve as role models to the community.
  • Portrait of Intissar Durham.Intissar Durham (’83), the chief airports engineer/deputy program manager of Los Angeles World Airports’ Airport Development Program, was honored with the Los Angeles Engineering Public Servant Award by the Friends of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at Cal State L.A.
  • Norlin Evans (’81) retired from his position as partner at Ernst & Young.
  • Agustin Moreno (’89, ’96) is in charge of the verification of METRO’s electronic system of buses throughout Los Angeles.
  • Portrait of Linda Wah.Linda Wah (’85, ’89 MBA), a former president and board of director of Cal State L.A.’s Alumni Association, was selected to serve on the Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees.
  • top

1970s

  • Duane M. Carter (’79), a jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger, has been recognized along with his band as being one of the top jazz musicians in the Austin area.
  • Rose Marie Joyce (’76 MA), a longtime college administrator, has been named the interim president of West Los Angeles College.
  • Michael Lucki (’78) was named the senior vice president and CFO for CH2M Hill, a Colorado-based global engineering, consulting and operations firm.
  • Darline P. Robles (’72) retired as superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
  • top

1960s

  • Jim Ramey (’69), the director of golf course maintenance at Sunriver Resort in Lawrence, Kansas, is one of only 1,700 to receive professional designation as a certified golf course superintendent.
  • Frank G. Robitaille (’69), the president and founding member of one of the top insurance brokerages in the nation, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, received an honorary alumni award during Cal State Fullerton’s Vision and Visionaries gala.
  • Diane Watson (’67) was awarded three lifetime achievement honors this summer from Special Needs Network, Educating Young Minds, and the Stonewall Young Democrats.
  • top

In Memoriam

  • Mary Diehl Abrams (’62 MA) worked for decades as a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District and had a lifelong dedication to the promotion of literacy.
  • Francis Azariah (’61) worked in semiconductor companies where his career in international marketing expanded over 30 years. Along with his eldest brother, Azariah helped establish an orphanage and school in their ancestral village in South India.
  • Richard Dee Beltran (’60) worked in the engineering field for almost 30 years, and served on the board of LAPD “PALS,” dedicated to “at-risk” youth and raising funds for a Northridge Youth Center.
  • Harold C. Brown (’58, ’61 MA) was an emeritus professor of education, who specialized in the department of elementary education. He began his University career after a decade of teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and then returned to teaching at the secondary school level after finishing his University career.
  • Alan Kendal Brunelle (’72 MS) served five years in the U.S. Navy and then went on to work for several engineering companies, retiring from Raytheon Missile Systems.
  • Ruth “Ann” Carver (’64) taught for 25 years in elementary education in Barstow and Bakersfield, returning even in retirement to teach preschool at the Ventura Missionary Church School.
  • Samuel M. Caplin, an emeritus professor of botany, taught a variety of science courses, including inorganic chemistry, biology, fungi, morphology of vascular plants, cytology and micro technique, plant tissue culture and radiation biology. He was active in his community and professional organizations, and had a lifelong interest in nutrition and nutritional supplementation.
  • Ferdinand Michael Domingue (’74 MA) dedicated 26 years of his professional career to Raytheon, and following retirement became a regular volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and Direct Relief International.
  • Alfred H. Fritz, an emeritus professor of mechanical engineering, began his career working in industry, designing and developing optical and hydraulic equipment and systems for 20 years. As an educator he taught upper division and graduate courses in machine design, and even served as the chair of the department for a brief time.
  • Douglas Matthew Gould (’89 MA) taught in the Pasadena Unified School District for 30 years. He also served as the chair of the history department, was class advisor and served on many committees dedicated to curriculum, school improvement and community service.
  • Peter Edmund Hidas (’70) had a 40 year career at the Pasadena accounting firm Martin Werberlow, LLP. He also coached a girls softball team, and was well-liked for his wise instructions and counsel.
  • Helen Shirley Holsome Lewis (’78) worked in the aerospace, education and health care industries, before beginning her dream job with law enforcement. Lewis worked as a deputy probation officer at the Los Angeles County Probation Department for many years.
  • Edward Skvarna (’66 MA) was a decorated military veteran who served in Japan as a member of the Army Corps during World War II, and a beloved educator with 35 years in the El Monte City School District. Skvarna received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his service during the war, which included flying over and taking aerial shots just minutes after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima.
  • Charles Williamson (’68) worked at California First Bank in San Diego, and Union Bank in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was instrumental in establishing an educational fund for Cawthon Elementary School in Cypress.
  • John Edward Winters (’70 MA) was a master educator and a longtime employee of the Compton Unified School District, where he held positions as a teacher, administrator, coach and mentor.
  • Marie-Antoinette Zrimc, an emerita professor of French, taught at Cal State L.A. for nearly 30 years. During her tenure, she helped refine the master’s degree in foreign language program, proposed several undergraduate courses in areas of linguistics and literature, and helped initiate an interdisciplinary major in comparative literature.
  • top