Alumni in the News - February 2009
Top Headlines
Alum’s Model Plane Flying High With Coveted Rolls-Royce Aviation Heritage Trophy
Frank Schelling (B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1964) has rebuilt a classic airplane – a magnificent Hisso-powered Curtiss JN-4H N3223. It's a national treasure, according to pilot Eric Presten.
Presten isn’t the plane’s only fan. The airplane won the coveted Rolls-Royce Aviation Heritage Trophy at the 2006 Reno Air Races. The original airplane was built in 1918. Schelling spent 31 years and more than 10,000 hours on the project. “I did the best I could with every part; I did not take any shortcuts. The airplane is as authentic as I could make it, with just a few concessions to safety.”
Read the Aviation News story about Frank Schelling
Solar Power Company Founded by Two Alums Saves Money, Helps Environment
Judy Ledford (B.S., Environmental Engineering, 1997) and Fred Sisson (Mechanical Engineering, 1998) founded REC Solar, a residential solar power firm located in San Luis Obispo. The company is one of the nation’s largest photovoltaic installation companies with 11 offices in six states. In 2008, the company installed just under 1,000 residential systems — more than any other company in the nation. REC Solar has installed photovoltaic systems on numerous local residences, as well as commercial buildings including several local wineries, buildings on the Cal Poly campus, and even the San Luis Obispo Costco.
Read the SLO Tribune story on Ledford and Sisson
Wine & Food
Alum Spices Up SLO With New Eatery
Samir Aburashed (B.A., 2006; Liberal Arts; M.A. 2008, History) and his father, Todd, have opened Petra, a new San Luis Obispo restaurant specializing in Mediterranean dishes. Petra features traditional Arabic entrees and pizza. Jordan is the main influence behind the restaurant's cuisine, and the name "Petra" is a reference to an archeological site in Jordan. Aburashed, a Cal Poly communications graduate, and his family, which has lived in San Luis Obispo for 35 years, own and operate the restaurant all day, every day.
Read the Mustang Daily article
Wine Notes: A New Taste of Wine Downtown
Kari Kittinger (B.S., Agricultural Business, 2006) is the direct sales and tasting-room manager for Clayhouse Wines, a family-owned operation based in Paso Robles. The opening of Clayhouse’s new tasting room is a major step for the company. “It’s small, but it’s very high-end,” Kittinger said. Kittinger brings unique experience to the team. As a Cal Poly grad with a combined viticulture and business degree, she worked for the Ortman Family Vineyards for several years before joining Clayhouse in April last year.
Read the SLO Tribune article
Kate MacMurray Really Does Know Best at Gallo
When animal science alumna Kate MacMurray (Animal Science, 1974), daughter to famous actor Fred MacMurray, was offered the job as ambassador for Gallo of Sonoma's MacMurray Ranch wines some years ago, she had some concerns about speaking in front of people. “It scares me,” she confessed. But after eight years, she’s become known as a gracious hostess who seems to speak effortlessly about winemaking, her famous kin, and the land where she spent so much of her girlhood. Her family sold the breathtaking MacMurray Ranch to Gallo in 1996 with the promise that it would be preserved in agriculture. MacMurray 52, says she learned her appreciation for land and agriculture from her dad.
Read the whole article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Engineering Alum Brent Edwards is All Wet: His Firm Specializes in Water Development
While a senior at Cal Poly, Brent Edwards (B.S., Agricultural Engineering, 1988) spent a summer working as an intern for a Napa Valley vineyard engineering firm. He worked for them for four years, fell in love with the Napa Valley and the wine industry and settled there 21 years ago. Edwards owns Edwards Engineering. Water development is the firm’s area of expertise. “We design reservoirs, pump stations and irrigation systems and help people who are thinking about developing new vineyards,” Edwards said. The company also recently started a mapping business called Pacific Geodata.
Read the Napa Valley Register’s article
Photo courtesy of Napa Valley Register
Camarillo Alum Dishes Up Sweet Treats
Cal Poly alumna Jennifer Tang (B.AR., Architecture, 1994) was the subject of the Ventura County Star’s weekly “The (Other) Top Chefs of Ventura County” series. A chef who specializes in pastry, Tang, 37, owns Jen’s Sweets, which makes cookies, cupcakes and other treats as special-occasion favors and to fill custom gift boxes and baskets. She also is the Southern California field operations facilities manager for Quest Diagnostics. After earning a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cal Poly, Tang went on to graduate from the California School of Culinary Arts’ Le Cordon Bleu program in Pasadena. “I love art and architecture, and the artistic elements of food,” said Tang.
Read about Tang in the Ventura County Star
Photo courtesy of Ventura County Star
Career Moves
Engineering Alum Appointed V.P. at Rockwell Collins
Scott White (B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 1972) has been named vice president of business development for Rockwell Collins Government Systems. As vice president, he is responsible for leading the enterprise-wide marketing and sales organizations. White joins Rockwell Collins after serving a combined 33 years with Rockwell International and The Boeing Co. White has broad leadership background in contracts, finance, program management, business development and general management for domestic and international defense and commercial programs.
Read the story in Global Defense News
Farm Bureau Taps Alum for Ag Manager Position
Michael Bradley (Agricultural Science, 1982) has been named to oversee the Leadership Development and Membership Marketing Division of the California Farm Bureau Federation. Prior to joining the bureau, Bradley worked for the California Exposition and State Fair since 1980, most recently as chief of its Bureau of Exhibits. His work included developing methods to showcase California agriculture, including the state fair's award-winning demonstration farm and its Farm Camp program. He is a member of Cal Poly’s Animal Science Department Advisory Committee.
Read the Amador Ledger Dispatch story on Michael Bradley
Photo capation: Photo courtesy of California Farm Bureau Federation.
Cal Poly Alum Named V.P. of Stantec
Alfonso Rodriguez (B.S., Civil Engineering, 1984) has been named vice president and leader of Stantec’s California North region. In this position he will oversee 500 employees in offices in Modesto, Walnut Creek, Los Gatos, Petaluma and San Francisco. Rodriguez will manage the company’s operations from the Sacramento office. Stantec offers consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture and interior design. Prior to joining Stantec, Rodriguez served as a
senior vice president at AECOM/DMJM and formerly vice president at URS Corp. Rodriguez also served as deputy executive officer and project manager for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority Redline Subway Program.
Read the Sacramento Business Journal story
CAED Alum Appointed to Santa Barbara Architectural Review Board
Santa Barbara architect Keith Rivera (B.AR., Architecture, 1982) has been appointed to the Architectural Board of Review by the City Council. The Architectural Board of Review was established to protect and preserve the aesthetic appeal of the city. A member of the American Institute of Architects, Rivera has more than 26 years of experience in architectural design. In 2007 Rivera received the first-place award in the Portland Courtyard Housing Design Competition for sustainable family housing, among more than 250 submissions from 33 states and 13 countries.
Read the whole article at Noozhawk.com
Alum Earns Certification in Traffic Engineering
TPG Consulting Inc. announced that Wally Hutcheson (B.S., Civil Engineering, 2005), a project manager in the Transportation Division of the Visalia office, was certified by the state as a registered Traffic Engineer. Hutcheson began his career with TPG Consulting in 2004 as a student intern.
Read the story in the Visalia Times Delta
Professional Studies Alum Retiring from Tulare Western High
Vern Barlogio (B.A., 1970, M.A., 1978, School of Professional Studies) has been at Tulare Western High School for 15 years, the last 12 as principal. "The road hasn't always been smooth, but the ride has been worth every minute of it," said Barlogio, 60. The 38-year Tulare County education veteran started out as a teacher at Sequoia Continuation School in Visalia.
Read about Barlogio in the Visalia Times Delta
Passings
Joy Belle Becker, 86
Joy Belle Becker (B.S., English, 1971), of Lake Forest, formerly of San Luis Obispo, died Sunday, Jan. 25, at Arcadia Memorial Hospital. Becker was born in Fresno and attended local schools. She graduated from Cal Poly at an age when most people would be considering retirement, and then established a career tutoring children with special needs.
Read Becker's obituary in the SLO Tribune
Emile LaSalle, 90
Emile Joseph LaSalle (B.S., Dairy Science, 1939; M.A. Education, 1970) passed away Jan. 11 at home in Atascadero. LaSalle excelled in many careers during his lifetime as a high school agriculture teacher, vocational education supervisor and farmer. He was an active member of the Future Farmers of America and upon graduation from high school attended Cal Poly as an agricultural major. There were only 135 students at Cal Poly at that time. It was at the dairy barn on campus that LaSalle met his future wife, Helen McPhee, the eldest daughter of Cal Poly's then-president, Julian McPhee.
Read LaSalle's SLO Tribune obituary
Lesley Carol Ronnow, 43
Lesley Carol Ronnow (B.S., Home Economics, 1990) passed away at home on Jan.7. Born and raised in Newport Beach, she graduated from Newport Harbor High School and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She lived in San Francisco for many years but returned to Newport Beach, where she loved the beach and the atmosphere. Ronnow was known as an extraordinary cook and enjoyed creating special meals and entertaining her friends and family.
Read the obituary in the Daily Pilot
Donald Jean Tenney, 80
Donald Jean Tenney (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1959) passed away peacefully after a battle with lung cancer Thursday, Jan. 15, at his home in Paso Robles. Tenney was born in August 1928 in Abeytas, N.M. He worked with his father in construction until he entered the U.S. Air Force. During the Korean War, he was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. After the war, Tenney enrolled at Cal Poly. He spent his career in Silicon Valley and is credited with making significant contributions to the infant semiconductor industry.
Read Tenney's obituary in the SLO Tribune
Kevin Allen White, 43
Kevin Allen White (B.S., Industrial Technology, 1991) died peacefully Thursday, Jan. 15 after a courageous battle with cancer. He enjoyed a successful 17-year career with Verizon Wireless on the Central Coast and had lived in Templeton for the past 12 years. He especially enjoyed riding motorcycles, boating at the lake, building Baja Bugs, and coaching soccer. He was known as a loving husband, beloved father and friend to all.
Read White's obituary in the SLO Tribune