Another series of Big C Alumni receptions will be held later this year. Check the Big C web site (www.bigcsociety.org) for dates, times and places.

A golf and gab get-together is scheduled for Monday, September 10 at the Claremont Country Club in Oakland. Reconnection Receptions are also planned for San Diego, Orange County, Sacramento and the Central Valley during the last week in September.

A Big C Young Alums cocktail event in San Francisco is also in the planning stage. Watch for information on the web site and an invitation with details in your mailbox.

Coming Soon To A Mailbox Near You

Each year we ask for financial support from alumni Big C members, because dues and sports fund donations are needed to keep the Big C Society alive . . . and to help pass on the Big C spirit, camaraderie, history, pride and traditions to future generations. Whether you choose to provide this support, however, is strictly voluntary. Financial support is not a requisite for maintaining Big C membership.

The IRS now requires non-profit organizations to provide donors with written evidence that confirms the date and amount of charitable contributions. So, if you're among the many Big C alums who provided financial assistance to Big C for the 2007 Membership Year and haven't already received a specific confirmation you'll soon be receiving a note which verifies the date and amount of your voluntary dues payment and/or Sports Fund contribution.

Next year you're 100 years old!

When you earn the right to wear  a Big C, you become a member  of The Big C Society. You retain that membership after leaving school. Whether you earn your degree or leave school before graduation doesn't matter.

Next year is the 100th Anniversary of The Big C Society. Whether or not you've chosen to help support the group financially in the past or choose to do so in the future you're an important part of Big C's 100-year history, and The Society is proud to recognize you as a member.

CAN YOU NAME THESE NOTORIOUS DUDES OF YESTERYEAR? (Answers at end of publication)

ALUMNI HAPPENINGS

Lorenzo Alexander (Football, 05) is starting a non-profit organization that provides tutoring and SAT prep help to youngsters who have academic problems. The organization,

Seeds of Promise, will also conduct annual youth camps promoting physical and mental health. If you'd like to know more and/or help, call (510) 868-8545 or (510) 499-9591.

Arthur Aldritt (Gymnastics, 57) has retired after a 37-year career in teaching & coaching spanning 7 years at the high school level, then 30 years at U.C.S.B. He and his wife, June, live in Goleta (CA), and have a six-year old granddaughter and a three-year old grandson. Art is still enjoying tennis, golf, sailing, playing the piano and model railroading. . . as well as his membership in a Corvette Sports Car Club. He was pretty specific . . . make that very specific

. . . that since he does not have a death wish, he no longer does any gymnastics (at least not on purpose). The Aldritts are traveling to Italy this summer and are planning a trip to France in 2008.

Janet Bowie-McGhee (Track, Cross Country, 93), husband Paul, daughter Greer and son John have packed up and moved  from San Francisco to Boca Raton, Florida. They miss the Bay Area, but Paul's new job in the Sunshine State (Wildfire State? . . . Hurricane State ?) was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Neil Cummings (Baseball, 74) and wife, Roni, will celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary this July. Neil says it was Roni's idea to move to Los Angeles back in 1981 so they could keep a closer eye on USC's recruiting violations. Apparently Neil and Julia been on sabbatical ever since. Their daughter, Julia is a sophomore at Amherst College, where she's a starting forward on the soccer team (the team made it to the Division III's Elite 8 in the NCAA's. She's also the starting center fielder on the Amherst softball team. Stepson Jeremy, is his right hand at Neil's law firm, and his step- daughter just moved back to California from New York. She owns an internet jewelry business . . . you can check it out at gemologica.com.    

Wayne Crow (Football, Track, 59), has settled permanently in Truckee, CA. Sadly, he lost his wife in February of last year after 26 years of marriage. They both retired from positions in school administration and split time between summers at Donner Lake and winters in Palm Desert. Wayne now plans to reside most of the year at Donner, and traveling to warmer places when the snow gets over the house and under his skin.

Bill Daggett (Swimming, Water Polo, 55) traveled from his home in the suburbs of Boston to attend his 55th (Berkeley) High School Reunion held last October at the Lawrence Hall of Science. At the reunion, he hooked up with BHS and Cal swimming/water polo team mates, Jerry Hayes and Jeff Foley as well as Calbasketballer, Skip Dresel (53). Skip's wife,

Mary Alwurm Dresel (55), was a BHS class mate, as well as a Big C letter-winner in Basketball, Swimming and Field Hockey. Bill happens to be one of the best pediatric cardiology surgeons in the country . . . and, according to Fish & Game Wardens across the country, one of the most skilled fisherman/hunters in the 48 contiguous states. Ex-BHS classmate, Jack Palmer, claims that Bill is just lucky.

MEMORY LANE - 1975

MEMORY LANE 1965

MORE ALUMNI HAPPENINGS

Robert Dos Remedios (Football, �89) was named National Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Professional of The Year for 2006 by the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Robert is the first Community College Coach in history to ever win this prestigious award.

Leland Faust (Swimming, Water Polo, 68) placed first in his age group (60 - 64) in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in June of last year, and was named by USA Triathlon to its 2006 All-American age group team.

Bob Hammes (Football, 67) has retired after 32 years as a  Deputy District Attorney in San Diego, and now serves as a volunteer coach and student-teacher liaison for the Point  Loma High School football team. His wife continues to work part-time as an assigned judge in the El Cajon Superior Court.  Son Jarrod is working toward an MBA at UCSB's Rady School of Business Management, while daughter Julie is in her second year of osteopathic medical school at Touro University near San Francisco. 

Bob Hearther (Soccer, 57) is the father of five sons two of whom attended the US Naval Academy and served their country as naval aviators. Married for 40+ years and in the real estate & restaurant business for the past 30, Bob has relocated from his Tahoe area home of 30 years to a new home in the Gold Country. Says he loves playing golf (mysteriously omitted giving his handicap), and also loves going to Cal football games when he  can.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Gary Hippenstiel (Tennis, 70)  lives in The Woodlands, (a suburb of Houston) Texas. He's Chief Investment Officer for Legacy Trust Company, and belongs to the Woodlands Country Club and Metropolitan Racquet Club. Son Geoff, age 32, is an architect, while son Scott, age 29, is a fireman. Gary's family also includes grandson Hunter, age 5, and grandson Jackson, age 1-1/2. No truth to the rumor that Gary plans to have his grandsons call lines when he revives his dormant competitive tennis career as a competitor in the Men's 60's tournaments.

 Bob Kahl (Water Polo, 54) has been racking up more frequent flier miles than a NASA Space Shuttle pilot. He and wife Marietta recently returned from 17 days visiting family, friends and any Italians who would listen to the results of the Italian language lessons they took before leaving for Italy. Before Italy it was The Aleutian Islands and Russia. Before or after that it was Easter Island. In between it was Colorado, New Mexico, Chicago, the family place at Donner Lake, and back to Chicago. And Reno. . . should we mention Reno? Or maybe Donner Lake came before Chicago? No matter . . . Bob obviously operates on the time-tested principle that a moving target is harder to hit.

 Dan Lufkin (Basketball, Baseball, 64) has just taken possession of a new home (well, new for Dan and his wife) about a half mile from where he used to live in Alameda. We don't think it's true that his old neighbors all chipped in to get him to move out of the old neighborhood. Also not sure whether the old neighbors think an extra half-mile is far enough. On a more serious note, all Big C'ers owe a great big thank you to Dan for the enormous amount of work he does in behalf of Big C. After retiring from a long and decorated Army career, he volunteered to take charge of the Big C web site. And he really does a terrific job. But geez . . . after a career in the army, you'd think he'd be a little careful about this volunteering stuff. Anyway, thanks, Dan.

Starr (Dawson) McLaughlin (Swimming, 90) and husband Ian (Cal 92/Boalt 97) recently welcomed Samuel Lawrence McLaughlin (aka Sammy Mac) to the family. In March, the family attended the Cal Women's Soccer Alumni Tournament and, according to Starr, had a great time. Given his pre-alumni status, not sure whether Sammy Mac competed in the event . . . or whether he scored . . . but we're pretty sure he's scoring at home. BIG time. Congratulations to Starr and Ian. And Sammy Mac.

Memory Lane � 1962

STILL MORE ALUMNI HAPPENINGS

Jim McManus (Tennis, 63) lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and has finally retired after 28 years playing and administering on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tour. We think he retired because there wasn't any room left in his passport. Oh the stories he can tell! (some of them even true!) One of Cal's true racqueteer standouts (that's racqueteer, not racketeer), Jim was at his toughest when the stakes in a match were highest - like a winner gets a chocolate sundae. He and wife Carole have two children - daughter Kate just graduated from Elon University (North Carolina) and is teaching snow-boarding in Jackson Hole, WY (hmmmm . . . a snow boarding instructor from Florida???). Son Jordy is a freshman at Presbyterian College (South Carolina) and plays on the Lacrosse team.

Marielle (Schlueter) Ritchie (Track, Cross Country, 03) and husband Jon, the ex-Stanford/ex-Philadelphia Eagles fullback, continue to live in Enola, Pennsylvania where they, and 2-year old son Joseph Wallace Ritchie, welcomed the newest addition to the Ritchie family, daughter Marlowe, on February 11th of this year. Joseph Wallace is showing Marlowe how to get things done at all hours of the day and night. Marlowe is sucking it up. Marielle is thinking how naive she was when she thought 2 or 3 workouts and a couple of 10-mile runs made for an exhausting day, and Jon is fondly remembering the days when he was in charge. Or thought he was, anyway.

Bob Roche (Water Polo, 54) continues to claim that he's the best horseshoe pitcher in the Donner Lake region. He's probably right . . . when he's at home in Lafayette or at his vacation place in San Clemente!!!

Peter Rocca (Swimming, Water Polo, 79) joined a huge turnout of Cal swim/water polo alumni and friends at a Cal Aquatics Gala on October 28th of last year. Peter's table included Larry Vanozlas (still the voice of Cal Swimming) and his wife Robyn, Ron Laher and wife Suzie, Par Arvidssen and wife Carol. Other tables included team mates Tom Meier, Graham Smith, & Jimmy Carter along with coaches Nort Thornton, Greg Connell and Karl Mohr. Actually, almost everyone involved with Cal Aquatics at one time or another was there. Huge fund-raising success. Huge.

Memory Lane 1964

AND STILL MORE . . .

Kirk Smith (Crew, 39) and his wife, the former Patricia Wachob, now live in Santa Cruz. The two were married in Berkeley in 1940. He received his MBA from Stanford Business School (apparently couldn't get into Cal), and worked for Colgate-Palmolive and other companies until his retirement in 1975. He served in the Peace Corps for 2 years before moving to Santa Cruz. The Smiths have three daughters who also live in Santa Cruz the eldest daughter, Cynthia Mathews, is Santa Cruz Mayor . . . daughter Sara is an RN . . . and daughter Laura works for The Nature Conservancy.

 Carrie Scribner (Lacrosse, 01) graduated from UC San Francisco last year with a Master's Degree in Nursing. She moved to New York City in October and is working as a Nurse Practitioner in the Critical Care Unit at new York Presbyterian Hospital.

Lyman Shaffer (Track, 70) retired on February 1, 2007 as Director of Corporate Security for PG&E, a position he held for 25 years. Prior to his PG&E career, he served 10 years in a number of positions for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) and 5 years as a Police Officer for the Berkeley Police Department (where, he notes, his previous track training and experience proved very handy on a number of occasions). Lyman lives in Piedmont with his significant other, Lu De Silva. Between them they have four grown children, and continue to attend many Cal sporting events.

Robert Smith (Football, 75) is in the publishing business in Wakefield, Rhode Island. After his Cal football career - which included playing with greats Chuck Muncie and Steve Rivera under coach Mike White he was selected to play in the 1st Annual Japan All-Star game in 1976 and tried out with the San Francisco 49ers. He later graduated from Haas School of Business with a Marketing degree. Robert then became a yoga & meditation instructor, and toured the world opening yoga centers. He lived 7 years in Europe, where he opened the Ananda Yoga Retreat Center in St. Francis of Assisi, Italy. He's now the northeast regional sales manager for Hay House Publishing, a firm he describes as the leading self-help publishing house in the U.S.

Robert Spenger (Crew, 54) got back into rowing after his retirement in 1988. He rowed with the Newport Aquatic Center and the Long Beach Rowing Association in Masters' competition. Says he had more fun than success on the water, but, as you read further, you may suspect that his assessment may be overly modest. Anyway, he started competing on the Concept 2 Indoor Rower and has done (as he puts it) fairly well,  first in the seventies division and the last couple of seasons in the 80+ group. Specifically, he was the first lightweight octogenarian to crack the 8 minute mark for the 2-kilometer, and also beat the mens 80+ heavyweight record of 8:03.5 . . . all after undergoing open heart surgery in July 2003 an aortic valve replacement and triple bypass!!!  Is that an inspirational story or what? Wonder if he has any NCAA eligibility left ??

David Tavernetti (Crew, 61) has moved from Fresno to El Dorado Hills (outside Sacramento).

Roy Tamm (Basketball, 42), and his wife Florence (McNair, 44) live in Sacramento and last year celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary with a month's trip to Australia and New Zealand with son Jim and his wife, Kathy. In August of last year, they welcomed their first great-grandchild, Austin Gene Tamm.

Chris Westerman (Football, 91) and wife Jodie are celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary this year. Apparently Chris captured (his words, not ours) this Miami Dolphins cheerleader at the 1987 Coca Cola Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. As Chris puts it, it's been an awesome 18 years, including four children Ashley (16), Christian (14), Colton (12) and Abbey Lane (8). Christian Jr. is already 6'4" with a 17 show size  (remember, we're talking 14 years old here). Again using Chris' words, a mammoth young man and a gifted athlete. Not sure how one goes about telling someone that size that he can't go to the movies on a school night . . . or to be in by 11 any night. Anyway, Chris and his family live in Chandler, Arizona (outside Phoenix), where he recently joined a benefits consulting firm, Phoenix Benefits, as a partner. Says he's expecting big things from the Cal football team in 2007 and beyond. Here's hoping Christian Jr. will be one of them! 

EVENTS

Alums, Coaches Honor Senior Student-Athletes at 2007 Banquet

On April 10, Big C alums, coaches, families and fans attended the Big C Seniors Recognition Banquet at The �I� House. The event is held each Spring to honor undergraduate student-athletes from all sports who have finished their NCAA eligibility at Cal. Some of the alums who attended this year are pictured below. If you've never attended one of these events, try to do so next year. The young people who compete for Cal these days are truly outstanding, and meeting them in a one-on-one basis is a real treat.

In case any of the alumni dudes shown below have changed since you last saw them, here's a guide to who they are. Thanks to all the Parole Officers for providing the necessary ankle bracelets so they could attend.

Top Row (left to right): Keynote speaker Dr. Bob Albo (Basketball, Baseball54 . . . and Magician Extraordinaire) entertained guests with an impossible card trick and an inspirational talk; Senior basketball standout Keanna Levy shared her experiences at Cal;  Senior Rugger Ross Biestman told of his path to Cal and preparation for the world outside Sather Gate; Second Row: Friends of Cal Tennis Chairman Barry Baskin with senior tennis player Tyler Browne;  Big C alums Kent Brewer and Verne Thornburg (Track) join Honorary Member Bill Ausfahl; Big C tennis alum Clif Mayne, Jr. with Head Basketball Coach BenBraun Third Row:;  Basketball alums Chris Woodward and Rupe Ricksen try, with marginal success, to outsmile Track alum Monte Upshaw; Big C President Ex-Officio Gregg Thornton (Swimming, 83); Basketball alum John Ricksen  Fourth Row: Current Big C President Don Bowden with fiance Betsy Zetterquist;  Big C Swimming alums Larry Kennings and Joe McCarthy (93  Introducer/Big C Board Member Darryl Stallworth (Football, 87); Fifth Row:); Sixth Row: Banquet Chairman Chris Carpenter with Faculty Advisor Jesse Choper; Seventh Row: Big C member Roger Dunn (Golf, 55) and his boss, Lou; Bottom: Former Bear linebacker great Dave Ortega and current Bear offensive line standout Scott Smith

Honorary Member Reception

Honoring our Honoraries: On May 17th, the Big C Board honored these individuals at a special reception held in the Hall of Fame Room at Memorial Stadium. We appreciate and applaud their contributions to Cal Athletics, and we are proud to list them on our membership rolls.

Among those who attended the reception were Bill Ausfahl, Mel Bacharach, Dwight Barker, Chuck Gompertz, Karen Moe Humphreys, Mac Laetsch, Robert Price, Herb Stansbury, Dave Stenger, Hal Stone, Tom Trutner, Jack Vohs, and Kirby West. Here are a few scenes from the event.  (Note: Due to the gross ineptitude of the photographer, who shall remain nameless, not all those who attended can be shown.) 

Pictured Below: Top Row (left): President Don Bowden and Vice-President Chris Carpenter flank Honorary Member Bill Ausfahl, (right); Carpenter & Bowden flank newly elected Honorary Member Mel Bacharach; Dwight Barker Row two: Honorary Members, Hal Stone, Robert M. Price, and Tom Trutner.  Row Three: Honorary Member Mac Laetsch with event chairman Rupe Ricksen; Honorary Member Karen Moe Thornton with Veep Carpenter (geez . . . the guy is everywhere!); Honorary Members Herb Stansbury and Dave Stenger.

In Memoriam

Bill Bailey (Honorary, 51)

Walt Casey (Crew, 42)

Bill Durkee (Basketball, 47)

John Friedrichsen (Crew, 43)

James Helmer (Track, 38)

Dave Hirschler (Football, 48)

Charles (CJ) Johnson (Basketball, 71)

John Miksits (Football, Rugby, 52)

Milton Pollack (Football, 38)

Bill Sandrock (Tennis, 42)

Don Talley (Track, 62)

You Make The Call:

Gregg Thornton and Zoology Professor Richard Eakin . . . OR

Gregg Thornton before and after his term as Big C President?

Yesteryear Dudes

Gary Rogers ,Jerry Scattini , John Rebelo  ,Wesley Walker, Bob Milano, Rick Cronk