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Gael Glimpses, 1980-1989

1989

Dorothy (Benjamin) Jones '89 ME '97 and her husband, Anthony, welcomed their second child, Jaden Masato Jones, on Jan. 5, 2007. He’s full of energy and eager to keep up with big brother Anthony Arthur, now 2½.
Jill (Paddack) Tarkoff and her husband, Thomas, happily announce that the adoption of their son, Joseph Ethan, was completed on Oct. 30, 2007. Joseph was born on Sept. 12, 2006, and joined their family on Sept. 29, 2006. The family lives in Orinda.
Rich Wendling is in his sixth season as head coach for the Cal women’s lightweight rowing team. He is also a board member for the Oakland Strokes Junior Rowing Team.

1988

Darrel Avilla MS is the new principal of Livermore High School. His wife, Pat Swartz-Avilla ’80, is the new vice principal at Granada High School. They have three children; the oldest, Leilani, was to give them their first grandchild last December. Son Julian teaches mathematics at Granada High School in Livermore. Leah, the youngest, planned to marry on New Year’s Eve 2007.

Ellen Griffith MBA is a project manager for a boutique web and Internet development firm in Emeryville — iArchitects (www.iarchitects.com). She is married and has two college-age children, one at Williams College in Massachusetts and the other at Santa Clara University. She remembers the collegial atmosphere of SMC’s graduate business program with fondness.

Stephanie Sullivan recently relocated to Scottsdale, Ariz., after accepting a promotion from United Airlines. In her 20th year with United, Stephanie is the operating manager of airport operations at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.

Rashell (Weber) Scott and her husband, Ryan, welcomed Kaden James on Nov. 28, 2007. Kaden was 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 20¾ inches long. He is absolutely precious —and sister, Maryn, is beside herself with excitement.

1987

Darryl Jung has been working in Honolulu as a financial advisor with Smith Barney for 15 years. He is married and has a 22-month-old son named Conner. He is still in contact with his SMC roommate, Mike Maritzen.

Deborah Smorra became controller of the Bernard Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in March 2007. The Marin JCC has 300 employees and has a performing arts center, health club and education centers that serve newborns through seniors.

1986

Pete Koukis has recently joined Topcon California as the South Bay Area manager for laser, machine control and GPS products. He can be reached at (925) 250-5554 or via e-mail at pkoukis@topcon.com.

Bob Lenz reports that SMC alumni rugby players from 1973 to 1989 have re-established the Golden Gaels, a masters-level team that had not played since the 1980s. The Golden Gaels kicked off their rebirth by going on tour to Catalina Island in May 2007 to play in the annual Old Boys Tourney. They placed third and only half the players were injured during play. The Golden Gaels will return to Catalina in May. Bob invites wandering Old Gael ruggers over 40 to join the club by e-mail: GoldenGaels@mac.com.

1985

Paul Sagdahl MBA was an IBM manager when he attended SMC, and is eternally grateful to IBM for paying all his tuition. After 31 years, he retired in Seattle as a senior I.T. consultant and his greatest challenge is getting his three daughters through college. He is contracting as a certified project manager on the most improbable of retirement jobs, building airplanes! His current challenge is the third Boeing 747-400 large cargo freighter, and his team has completed two of four planes designed to haul 787 Dreamliner parts.

Kelly Trevethan is a managing director of Oppenheimer & Co. in San Francisco. His team heads up the wealth management & estate planning group. Kelly and his wife, Tiffani, were married at Saint Mary’s Chapel in 1989. They have three children and live in Diablo. Kelly remains active in the Lasallian community and is a member of the Board of Trustees at De La Salle High School in Concord.

1983

Frank Castro opened Palo Alto Spine in May 2007. In August, he completed the Ford Ironman Louisville triathlon in 11 hours, 27 minutes (seven minutes slower than his first Ironman completed in 1991).

Louis Lotorto, Jr. will appear in The Colony Theatre’s Burbank production of Almost, Maine, a John Cariani play, from Feb. 6 through March 9, 2008.

Christopher Major spent 10 years as a special education teacher and opened the Hayward Youth Academy, a nonprofit corporation targeting the development and educational advancement of young people in the Bay Area. He urges all Gaels to reach out and support a child whenever you can. As a new President’s Club member, Christopher is happy to see the College’s positive direction, attention to growth and the continuing improvement of the campus. Go Gaels and Go Gaels basketball!

Jaime Pelea worked as division manager of the biggest mall chain in the Philippines, SM Supermalls, for 15 years and then moved to Plains and Prints, a leading apparel chain with more than 40 stores across the Philippines, as general manager.

Eddie Roodveldt MBA moved to Southern California for a few years, then to Argentina for another few years, followed by seven years in Hong Kong (all job-related) and now back in Moraga. He is a certified financial planner with Smith Barney in Berkeley, and also has a home office in Moraga. He has been married to Lillian for more than 31 years. Their son, Andrew, 25, graduated from the University of Arizona and has joined Eddie at Smith Barney.

1982

Steve Ferrari has been married for 23 years to Helen, and they have three wonderful children — Neil, 21, Ryan, 19 and Kevin, 16. He resides in Woodside and is working with Ferrari Properties International (www.ferrariproperties.net) developing and selling resort properties in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Steve has also invented numerous celebrity food products — including his venture with former Oakland Raider and Stanford Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett — that are sold in 138 Raley’s stores and 380 7-Elevens. Visit www.ferrariitaliafoods.com.

1981

Joe Dito has served for the past six years as vice president for operations for MPA Networks, Silicon Valley’s oldest I.T. consulting firm. He and his wife of 18 years, Monica, have two daughters, Bianca, 14, and Juliette, 10. Both daughters are very athletic — participating in soccer, basketball, track and field and martial arts. Bianca earned her black belt in karate at age 13. Joe recently completed his second consecutive Boston Marathon in spite of some of the worst weather in 30 years.
Edward Gregorio-Nagayama has worked as controller for Hofmann Land Development Company in Concord since 1998. He has been married for 17 years to Bonnie, a native of Washington, Penn. They have two children: Nicole is 7, and Justin was born in October 2007.
Jeffrey Hall works as an estate planning/probate litigation attorney for the law offices of Gizzi and Reep, LLP in Benicia. He has been married for 24 years to College sweetheart Laura (Franz) and they have a beautiful 11-year old daughter named Courtney.
Joseph Rogers completed medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin and residency at UCSF in pediatrics. He then provided primary care and emergency services in largely farm-working communities in Central California. In 1999, Joseph returned for more training in emergency medicine at Duke University. In 2006, he established a multi-specialty medical group, Sierra Rural Physicians, Inc., providing physicians in primary-care clinics and emergency rooms in the communities of Corcoran in the San Joaquin Valley and Mariposa near Yosemite.
Richard Tapia & Roberta (Hernandez) Tapia opened a new location of Carson City Harley-Davidson in December 2007. This is their fourth Harley-Davidson dealership.

1980

John E. Cole, left, a captain in the Navy Reserve, assumed leadership in November of the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Reserve Component Command at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the largest such command. Cole was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1981 and moved to the Navy in 1985.
His military decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards); the Navy and Marine Commendation Medal (four awards); and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards). As he accepted leadership of RMARCC, Cole acknowledged his family, including a son serving in the Marine Corps who was not present at the ceremony. RMARCC provides support, guidance and administrative oversight of 33 Navy Operational Support Centers in 14 states and 542 reserve units.

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