Alumni News

1998-99 Alumni Association Councilors

Success of reunions hinges on volunteer involvement

Areunion luncheon for all alumni, with emphasis on the classes of '94, '89, '84, '79, '74, and '69, is being planned for Saturday, April 17, 1999. The luncheon will take place during Banana Slug Spring Fair campus open house.

In addition to planning the luncheon, the Alumni Office is calling for volunteers to organize specialized reunion gatherings. Among these may be a 30-year reunion for the "pioneerclass"--those who were enrolled at UCSC in 1965 and the class of '69--and a 20-year reunion for the class of '79. In recent years, alumni volunteers and campus departments have organized reunions for economics majors, journalists, those who worked at City on a Hill, dancers with Los Mejicas, and gay, lesbian, and bisexual alumni, among other groups.

"If you want to create a reunion that's as special and life affirming as your experience was here at UCSC, volunteer on your reunion committee," urges Judy Einzig (Cowell '69), who helped organize a memorable 20-year reunion weekend a decade ago for the pioneer class. Committee members plan a reunion's format and get in touch with old friends to encourage their participation. A reunion committee's work can be accomplished in as few as two meetings or many more, depending upon the complexity of the reunion program envisioned. Teleconferencing makes possible the participation of alumni regardless of where they live.

The Alumni Office actively supports the efforts of reunion committees. It offers use of its database of alumni addresses, the expertise of an experienced reunion planner, and funding for reunion mailings and phoning.

Alumni interested in volunteering should call the Alumni Office now at (800) 933-SLUG for more information or to volunteer. Local alumni may call (408) 459-2530.

Be a reunion organizer: It's almost as much fun as the first time you did the frug! (Pioneer Class photo by Vester Dick, circa 1965/Covello & Covello Photography)

Alumni Association donates $10,000 in Dean McHenry's name

The Alumni Association has donated $10,000 to the UCSC Arboretum as a memorial to UCSC's founding chancellor, Dean McHenry, who died in March. McHenry was a major supporter of the Arboretum.

The Alumni Association's gift will be used to finish an outdoor amphitheater at the Arboretum. The finished site will be made available for weddings and other uses.

"The amphitheater will be a wonderful addition to our fine Arboretum," Ron Enomoto, interim director of the Arboretum, said. "Dean McHenry actually worked on this exact site and was instrumental in the initiation and success of the Arboretum. The Arboretum will always be grateful for his contributions and those of the Alumni Association for enabling us to complete this fitting tribute to Dean McHenry."

Steven Jung, the 1997&endash;98 president of the Alumni Council, said, "Those of us who had the privilege of having met Dean McHenry, whether as students or alumni, deeply mourn his loss. In another sense, all of us knew Dean McHenry through the programs and traditions he established at UCSC--the colleges, narrative evaluations, extensive undergraduate research opportunities, a commitment to undergraduate education, and a respect for the campus's natural environment--and therefore share in that loss. So, on behalf of all UCSC graduates, the Alumni Association has made this donation to honor the founding chancellor, and to reaffirm our commitment to the ideals and principles that he brought to UC Santa Cruz."

Alumni vintners, friends support scholarship fund

During his senior year as a chemistry major, Hugh Chappelle (College Eight '86) was looking for a part-time job. An announcement at the Career Center led him to a "guy Friday" position at a tiny winery in the Soquel hills. In the midst of "making good wine and having a lot of fun," Chappelle discovered a career chosen by a surprising number of UCSC graduates: wine making.

"Wine making involves a lot of different skills, and an education at UCSC tends to produce well-rounded people with a lot of interests," explains David Graves (Crown '74), general partner at Saintsbury and a member of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation board. "Wine suits them."

Chappelle (now wine maker at Madroña Vineyards in the Sierra foothills), Graves, and some 15 of their counterparts from throughout the state gather each year at the Alumni Vintners Wine Tasting sponsored by the Santa Cruz Chapter of the UCSC Alumni Association. While serving as a reunion of sorts for the vintners (Chappelle ran into a former chemistry-lab partner last year), the event's most important function is showcasing alumni wines and the campus at the height of its summertime beauty. Just as important, the event provides financial support for the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. Last year, 350 guests, including Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, bid on silent-auction items donated by local businesses. Auction proceeds went directly to financially needy UCSC students. Scholarships of $2,500 were awarded to undergraduates Zoë Tobier and Erik Samayoa (see photo, right) as a result of the 1997 wine tasting's success.

This summer's wine tasting will be held on Saturday, August 1, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The event location--the outdoor courtyard at the Elena Baskin Visual Arts Studios on campus--offers a panoramic view of the Monterey Bay. Guests will enjoy live jazz, delicious hors d'oeuvres, and the knowledge that they're supporting the scholarship fund. Tickets are $22. Tickets to 8 p.m. performances of Othello and Beaumarchais's The Marriage of Figaro are also available at discount prices. All friends of UCSC are invited; to RSVP, call the Alumni Office toll free at (800) 933-SLUG or locally at (408) 459-2530 by Wednesday, July 22.

ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIPS: Ten financially needy undergraduates received $2,500 scholarships in 1997&endash;98 funded by the Alumni Association. They are (l&endash;r) Wilfrido Cruz (Merrill, history), Roxanne Brown (Merrill, politics), Zoë Tobier (Porter, undeclared), Stephanie Wills (Oakes, undeclared), Erik Samayoa (Crown, biology), Ryan Bonea (Cowell, undeclared), Brian Walker (Merrill, undeclared), Rameen Gasery (Oakes, sociology), and Jeff Francis (College Eight, environmental studies). Not pictured: John Jin Kang (Crown, biochemistry). (photo by Victor Schiffrin)

Among the 350 guests at the 1997 Alumni Vintners Wine Tasting were (l&endash;r) Rob Franks (Crown '75), former president of the Alumni Council; Donna Franks; and Superior Court judge and former Alumni Council member Greg Ward (Stevenson '69). This memorable summer event showcases the fine wines produced by UCSC-graduate vintners. Proceeds benefit the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. All friends of UCSC are invited to this year's tasting, planned for Saturday afternoon, August 1. (photo by Greg Pio)

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