SUMMER 2016

M E N L O C O L L E G E 1

Table of Contents

2 PRESIDENT | News from President Richard A. Moran

3 Board of Trustees

4 Provost Terri Givens

5 Election Bytes

6 Menlo College Announces Asia Research Institute

7 Dining With Frida Kahlo

8 Wine Writers Converse

9 Just Published! Ethics is a Daily Deal by Leslie Sekerka

10 Wrestler Voluneers Tax Prep in VITA Program

11 Arete in Agon by Doug Carroll

12 Faculty Notes

13 IN MEMORIAM: Ron Kovas, Professor of Management

14 Faculty Notes on Alumni-Athletes

15 Athletes Transition Creatively by Brennen Facchini ‘08

16 Student-Athlete Herrera-Farias Overcomes Obstacles

17 SPECIAL SECTION | Student-Athlete Profile Compiled by Pamela Gullard

28 Knight in the Grand Ducal Order of the Oak Crown by Bill Failing ‘60

29 A Visit With Social Artist Rick Lowe

30 Running to Those in Need, Gerardo Marenco

31 Dash for the Trash

33 ALUMNI | Upcoming Events

34 Meet the Lees - Alumni Times Six

37 In Memoriam

39 Dr. Bahareh Amidi ‘88 Introduces Menlo to Poetic Expression

40 Menlo College DECA Wins Top Award

41 Thanks to the Facility Guys

42 Hawai’i Luau and Apollo Night Photos

43 Hawai’i Recruits Set to Impact Menlo College Athletics

44 Oaks Support Opponents in Time of Need

45 Hall of Fame Brimming with History

47 Women’s Wrestling Shines at 2016 Olympics Team Trials

48 2016 Commencement

50 Devin Gaines Named 2016 Board of Trustees Award Recipient

51 Honors Convocation Award Recipients

54 PSP Valedictorian Mathew Safford

55 Valedictorian Corona Beck

56 2016 Commencement Photos

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Darcy Blake

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Richard A. Moran, Terri Givens, Darcy Blake, Pamela Gullard, Leslie Sekerka, Doug Carroll, Brennen Facchini ‘08, Keith Spataro, Jodie Austin, Jake McKinley, Aaron Gillespie, Marianne Neuwirth, Soumen De, Joanne Ferchland- Parella, Brazel Marquez ‘16, Brian Brownfield ‘17, Ty Lauderdale ‘17, Carolina Gonzalez ‘18, Gerardo Marenco

DESIGN Darcy Blake

PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHICS Darcy Blake, Andrey Poliakov, Oakssports.com, Doug Peck , Amelia Hartley ‘17, Zoe Palmer ‘17, Angela Tsung ‘19, Ngozi Harrison ‘19, Stacy Parra ‘16, Jim Thrall, Scott Kline

SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Pamela Gullard

EDITORS

Linda Smith, Linda Teutschel, Pamela Gullard

CONTRIBUTORS Mark Hager, Janis Zaima, Donna Little, Craig Medlen, Joey Martinez, Harold Justman, Frances Turner, Jeannice Samani, Arthurlene Towner, Eric Bucchere, Bill Failing ‘60, Dale Lee, Kim Moore ‘93, Kelly Sargent‘96, Julie Lenox ‘99

COLLEGE PRESIDENT Richard A. Moran

BOARD OF TRUSTEES T. Geir Ramleth ‘87, Chair Charles “Chop” J. Keenan III ’66, Vice Chair Tom Byers Lee Caraher Andrea Cunningham Howard Dallmar ‘74 James A. Davlin Chris Garrett ‘94 Mike Gullard Richard Humphreys Sr. '67 David C. Irmer ‘58 Micah Kane ‘91 Harry W. Kellogg, Jr. ‘63 Connor Limont ‘75 Jordan Long ‘09 Larry Lopez ‘84 Tom Morehouse ‘62 Sean Mendy James T. Rea ‘67 William (Bill) Redmon Tom Scannell

The Menlo Advantage, published by the Menlo College Office of the President, brings news of the College and its community to alumni, parents, and friends. 1000 El Camino Real, Atherton, California 94027-4301 Tel: 650-543-3901, dblake@menlo.edu, www.menlo.edu

Russ Louthian displayed his 2009 Dodge Challenger at the recent Women’s Business Society Alumni Car Show. PHOTO: ZOE PALMER ‘17

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Update on 2016

P rogress. Right now Menlo College is all about making progress toward becoming the

best small college in the West - and it is happening! Menlo College has garnered significant recognition of late and, given our size, it is all the more remarkable. Menlo has been named as one of the best colleges in the United States by The Princeton Review seven years running, and by U.S. News & World Report for the last five consecutive years. The College is one of the smallest business schools in the world to be accredited through AACSB. With your continued support, Menlo College is well positioned to achieve its goals.

Let’s celebrate just a few of the mile-stones and successes we have recently realized.

WASC Reaccreditation: The site visit team has come and gone. By all accounts, it was a very positive visit. An intriguing question the team asked several times was “What is the secret sauce at Menlo College?” Clearly the team recognized that there is something special here at Menlo – a good point for all of us to remember and hold dear.

A Sandbox of Technology: Our Entrepre-neurship Steering Committee has been guiding the integration of innovation into the College. Early successes include an ongoing entrepreneurship seminar

series, plans to embed innovation throughout the curriculum, and engage-ments with early-stage companies on campus to test their concepts. The latter provides our students with close-up opportunities to understand innovation.

Outstanding Year for Athletics: In our first year in the Golden State Athletic Conference, all fifteen of our men’s and women’s teams performed exception-ally well. We are well positioned for even greater levels of success in the coming year.

Task Force on Diversity: A new all- campus task force was launched to recommend initiatives, policies, and procedures that will promote an environment that respects and supports people of all backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs at Menlo College.

An Expanded Board of Trustees: We now have 21 members on our Board, representing broad backgrounds and interests. Read about the newest appointments to the Board on the following page.

Commencement: Our record-setting graduating class endured rain, but listened attentively to two stellar speakers: NoViolet Bulawayo, the renowned author of We Need New Names, and Greg Ballard, an adventurous entrepreneur who currently is head of Digital Games at Warner Brothers.

Outstanding Faculty Recruitment: Among other stellar new academics, Evan Lau as Associate Professor of Biology, Lisa Mendelman as Assistant Professor of English, and Bruce Paton as Dean of Business & Academic Affairs are all slated to join us for the 2016-17 academic year.

These are but a few of the great things happening here. At Menlo College, our legacy and our future is the courage to explore the world in all its wonder. I am proud to be president of this institution, and look forward to great future successes. My thanks and appreciation to the entire community.

Richard A. Moran President, Menlo College

President Richard A. Moran and the Board of Trustees at Commencement 2016. PHOTO: DOUG PECK PHOTOGRAPHY

FROM THE PRESIDENT

M E N L O C O L L E G E 3

Celebrating New MembersTom Byers

A t Stanford University since 1995, Professor Tom Byers focuses on education regarding high-growth entrepreneurship and technology innovation. He is the

first holder of the Entrepreneurship Professorship endowed chair in the School of Engineering, and is also a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. He is a faculty director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), which serves as

the entrepreneurship center for the engineering school. He is a principal investigator and the director of the Epicenter, which is funded by the Na-tional Science Foundation to stimulate entrepreneurship education at all USA engineering and science colleges. He is the co-author of a textbook called Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise published by McGraw-Hill.

He is a past recipient of the prestigious Gordon Prize by the National Academy of Engi-neering in the USA and Stanford University’s Gores Award, for excellence in teaching.

He has been a member of advisory boards at Harvard Business School, UC Berkeley, World Economic Forum, Conservation International, and several private enterprises. He earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Management Science) at UC Berkeley.

William (Bill) K. Redmon

W illiam (Bill) K. Redmon, Ph.D. is CEO of Kintla, a San Francisco-based firm that specializes in applying neuro-

science to coaching, leadership development, and organiza-tional change. He brings a practical point of view to Kintla’s approach with experience in leadership coaching, manage-ment, and team development.

Bill’s current focus is on integrating emerging neuroscience research findings with traditional approaches to create inno-vative techniques for self and team development.

Prior to joining Kintla, Bill served as Principal Vice President of global talent manage-ment and leadership development for Bechtel Corporation. At Bechtel, he was respon-sible for managing talent, leadership development, and the learning mission.

Early in his career, Bill was a professor of industrial/organizational psychology where he directed graduate training and research in organizational change.

Bill holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a licensed psychologist. He currently is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.

Sean Mendy

S ean serves as Senior Director, Devel-opment at the Boys & Girls Clubs of

the Peninsula, an education organiza-tion serving low-income youth living in East Palo Alto, eastern Menlo Park, and Redwood City. He’s responsible for fund-raising, branding, and external relation-ships. The organization raises $8.25mm annually. Before leading Development, Sean designed and implemented school success programs for K-12 youth. These programs have yielded 90% high school graduation rates compared to neighbor-hood averages of 65%. He also directed the Center for a New Generation, a mid-dle school youth enrichment and high school preparation program founded by Condoleezza Rice and Susan Ford Dorsey.

Prior to joining the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Sean founded GetCon-nects, a social enterprise that linked minority college students with intern-ship and entry level job opportunities at Fortune 500 companies.

Sean earned his BA from Cornell Univer-sity, where he played varsity soccer. He studied education leadership at Stanford where he earned a master’s degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership. He also received his MBA from The Marshall School at the University of California.

He is most passionate about providing young people with the opportunities and mentorship they need for them to achieve their potential.

FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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by Terri Givens, Provost

I was walking across campus the other day and saw a young woman with bags of ice taped to her shins. It immediately brought back my own memories of leaving track practice

every day and heading back to my dorm with ice on my aching shin splints. I had to stop her and tell her why I understood her pain. Fortunately, I have overcome the shin splits even though I continue to run and consider myself an athlete to this day.

Life as an athlete has its ups and downs and balancing school and sports can be tough. I know this both from the perspec-tive of a student-athlete and as a school administrator trying to accommodate the hectic schedules of students participating in a wide range of sports. We make this effort because it allows students to pursue activities they love while getting a top-notch education. Other benefits include being fit, developing strong relationships, team and leadership skills, and learning how to manage time.

Taking it in the Shins

Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula Appoint Givens to their Board

M enlo College Provost Terri Givens was invited to become a member of the Board of the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, the largest Silicon Valley area

organization focused on extended learning for at-risk youth. Givens also recently served as a keynote speaker at the Sports, Entertainment and Technology Symposium and Reception, an event organized by Women in Technology International, a leading global business organization for women in technology. Attendees at the conference heard from key players who are leading the way for women as the sports, entertainment and technology industries converge.

The benefits [of sports] include being fit, developing strong relationships, team and leadership skills, and learning how to manage time.

As someone whose collegiate athletic career ended more than 30 years ago, I can say that the benefits for me have extended into many aspects of my life. I’m grateful that I still am able to enjoy a sport that I love, although I mainly focus on the longer distances these days, everything from marathons to 5Ks. I have fond memories from my time as a sprinter, and I’m now a very proud mom watching my sons take up the sport. It’s some-thing my father passed down to me and my brothers, and it brings a tear to my eye to think how proud my father would be seeing his grandsons compete in the same events he did when he was a young man.

At Menlo College our teams aren’t only on the field – many of our classes use a team format for presentations and projects. We also have developed new intramural and club sports pro-grams that encourage students to form teams, and it is exciting to see students developing new activities that bring them together with their classmates. Along with what they learn in the classroom, these are the kinds of experiences that will stay with them as they enter the professional world.

Go Oaks!

Provost Terri Givens on the track team in her college days at Stanford University.

FROM THE PROVOST

M E N L O C O L L E G E 5

Election Bytes

P rofessor of Political Science Melissa Michelson has joined the board of a new academic organization to

bolster the influence of women’s representation in the media.

Women Also Know Stuff is a group of po-litical scientists in academia tasked with increasing the recognition of women with journalists and the general public. Michelson noted: “Women political scien-tists have unique expertise in American politics and in international affairs. When their voices are missing from conversa-tions about these and other issues, the world loses out on the expertise and perspective they have to offer.”

An idea to increase the visibility of wom-en in the profession and in the media was sparked when Samara Klar, Assistant Pro-fessor of Political Science at the Univer-sity of Arizona, heard of yet another news article that excluded contributions from women. It was the last straw, following a long string of news articles and symposia featuring zero or near-zero women politi-cal scientists. She decided it was time to do something about it, and emailed a group of her colleagues.

As a result, a new website was launched– Women Also Know Stuff, http://wom-enalsoknowstuff.com, a crowd sourced website of women academics in political science. The group’s goal is to empower women in political science.

Women political scientists interested in joining the site can add themselves. Anyone can use the site to access lists of experts in their research, reporting, and conference/colloquia organizing, and to find women for editorial boards, and for manuscript/program reviews.

The board is currently working to further their impact through a series of focus groups and outreach to women politi-cal scientists at upcoming professional conferences.

Michelson added, “My students at Menlo College know that women also know stuff about politics, but implicit bias tends to give a stronger voice and broad-er visibility to men. The public needs to hear from women experts, too.”

Members of the board include Emily Beaulieu, University of Kentucky; Amber Boydstun, University of California, Davis; Nadia Brown, Purdue University; Kim Yi Dionne, Smith College; Andra Gillespie, Emory University; Samara Klar, University of Arizona; Yanna Krupnikov, Stony Brook University; Melissa R. Michelson, Menlo College; Kathleen Searles, Louisiana State University; and Christina Wolbrecht, University of Notre Dame.

Michelson noted, “This will be an excel-lent platform for women to share their expertise and to present their opinions. With women representing over 50% of the population in the United States, their viewpoint needs to be recognized.”

Those seeking more information can follow Women Also Know Stuff at @womenalsoknow.

Professor Melissa Michelson. PHOTO: DARCY BLAKE

VOTER TURNOUT and the 2016 ElectionsProfessor Michelson’s commentary about voter turnout and the 2016 elections can be found in“Univision Aims to Make Hispanic Voting Bloc Even More Formidable,” New York Times “Is the US political system changing?,” Al Jazeera“What Makes A Person Vote (Or Not Vote)?,” Capital Public Radio

“Should Fresno City Council members be able to vote and run before the people can be heard?,” The Fresno Bee

“California Latinos gravitating toward Bernie Sanders,” San Francisco Chronicle

“Fear and Loathing Among Latinos,” CQ Magazine

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M enlo College proudly announces the founding of the Asia Research Institute, co-directed

by Professor of Finance Soumendra De and Professor of International Manage-ment Rajesh Kumar. The Institute will guide Menlo College students to function effectively in a global setting, through a wide range of activities that will include academic seminars, public lectures, and colloquia series.

The Asia Research Institute at Menlo College will offer students an opportunity to assimilate the linkages between Asia and the United States, and to position themselves for burgeoning job opportu-nities in Asia.

Menlo College Announces Asia Research Institute“The rise of Japan and South Korea is now being followed by an unparalleled economic resurgence in both China and India. Thailand and Malaysia are close be-hind,” said Professor Kumar. “Asia is now a source, as well as a recipient of sizable flows of foreign direct investment in the global economy. It accounted for 30% of global foreign direct investment inflows in 2014 (UNCTAD). The expectation is that by 2050 Asia will account for 52% of the world’s global gross domestic product.”

Professor De cited the fact that Apple derives more of its revenue from China than it does from any other country. He explained that the growth and develop-ment that we are observing in Asia is

dramatically different from the West. The increasing significance of Asia in the global economy invites us to explore the implications of Asia’s rise on the chang-ing strategies of the multinational enter-prises, as well as the political implications of the shifting geopolitical balance of power.

Professor De and Professor Kumar will work with Asian scholars and practitio-ners around the world to initiate and implement projects of mutual interest. They also plan to establish a scholarly connection with Asia Pacific Research Center (APARC) at Stanford University, and the Institute of East Asian (IEAS) Studies at UC Berkeley.

The Future of Investing

How Equity CrowdFunding is Shaping the American Dream

S ilicon Valley angel investor Manny Fernandez taught an interactive workshop hosted by the Menlo College Finance Club on the laws, regulations, opportunities and future of equity crowdfunding, as it relates to building personal wealth. At the work-shop, Fernandez, the co-founder/CEO of Dreamfunded, was named “Silicon Valley Equity Crowdfunding Pioneer.” Professor

of Finance, Soumendra De, who presented the award to Fernandez, stated: “Manny Fernandez’s involvement in equity crowd-funding is shaping how people invest in private companies and how tech employees get the liquidity they have worked hard for.” Fernandez noted, “Menlo College cultivates a unique entrepreneurial spirit in their students that you don’t find elsewhere.”

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By Brazel Marquez ’16

Psychology major Brazel Marquez ’16 wrote her senior thesis on coaching behaviors and strategies that impact an athlete’s psy-chological and optimal performance. Marquez, a wrestler whose team recently placed 7th in the 2016 National Tournament, used a recent art exhibit installation presented by her psychology class as a means to convey key messages.

Psychology Professor Mark Hager’s class “Psychology of Women in Organization” took on a very different perspective of the way a “normal” class runs when we prepared an art installation in the style of “The Dinner Party,” a work by feminist artist Judy Chicago that used dinner table place settings to depict historical women.

For our Menlo College dinner party installation, 10 students were assigned to choose guests from the 20th century, and to write a paper on why our guests belonged at Chicago’s dinner party. My chosen guest was Mexican self-portrait artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo is a feminist icon with an amazing life story and work portfolio. Being Hispanic, I learned about Kahlo as I was growing up, and I am now a fan of her work.

Dining With Frida Kahlo

Above, Accounting major Hunter Dupree ‘18, Brazel Marquez ‘16, and Psychology Professor Mark Hager look at photos of the Dinner Party exhibit. Below, the plate that Marquez created for Frida Kahlo’s place setting. PHOTO: NGOZI HARISON ‘19

I then added artists who were influenced by Kahlo: American conceptual/pop artist Barbara Kruger, a group of women artists fighting discrimination in politics called the Guerilla Girls, artist Victoria Van Dyke, photographer Lorna Simpson, and artist Kara Walker. Although they represent different styles of expression, these artists share an interest in the exploration of conceptions of gender and sexism within their art.

“Psychology of Women in Organization” also exposed us to the inequalities of women in the business industry. As a wrestler and as a woman, I’ve had to face all-time lows and all-time highs as I broke through barriers. In our class, we spoke about barriers that women have to overcome in order to be treated equally, whether a woman is too masculine or feminine for a job, and the glass ceiling that affects women and members of minorities.

The Dinner Party exhibit project and other aspects of the class gave me new perspectives on my role as a woman in the workplace – an outlook I hope to share with other women as I assume leadership roles in the future.

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L istening to the discussion on wine at Menlo College was a bit like eavesdropping on the good conversation at a nearby table while you’re dining out. The conversation

by nationally-known wine writers at Menlo’s Authors Round-table series— fascinating, intriguing, and mysterious—offered listeners a drink for thought, and the chance to compose a list of recommended wines and terms to look up at home.

The wine experts included:

Frances Dinkelspiel, author of Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California

Charles Sullivan, author of Sonoma Wine and the Story of Buena Vista

Sheridan Warrick, author of The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home

Liza Zimmerman, writer for Wine Business Monthly, WineSearch-er.com, Beverage Media, and others

Alder Yarrow, founder and editor of Vinography: A Wine Blog

Richard Moran, President of Menlo College, owner of Moran Manor Vineyards, moderator for the evening.

Liza Zimmerman differentiated between being a wine journalist and a lover of wine as “wine lovers have a magical and mystical

relationship with wine,” and Richard Moran teased “nobody writes about corn in the same way.”

Wine maker Sheridan Warrick, who has an admitted “soft spot for cabs [cabernet wine],” recalled how as an editor at Health Magazine he was beckoned into writing about wine. His interest was piqued when he saw France at the bottom of a chart of countries with heart disease. He surmised it was good for the heart as well as the palate, and felt compelled to share the information with others.

As for rating wines, Alder Yarrow, a self-proclaimed “wine geek” has “gradually migrated all of my friends out of $10 bottles.” He teased the audience when he said that “Every 6 to 8 weeks I share 90 bottles of the remainder of my wine-tasting samples with 50 neighbors.”

Scarcity and location factor into the price of a good bottle of wine. Charles Sullivan stated, “Napa Valley, not Napa County is a description worth a ton of money, even if the wine isn’t all that good.”

Whether you’re drinking cheap wine such as Two-Buck Chuck, or Screaming Eagle, a California wine from Oakville, California considered to be a cult wine, the activity of drinking wine is a communal experience. Frances Dinkelspiel summed it up, “People like the effect of it. Conversation changes and it brings people together. Known as the ‘intoxicated effect,’ it is not so much about getting drunk, but that inhibition drops and the mood of conviviality is enhanced.”

The Menlo College Authors Roundtable Series included wine writers (top row) Liza Zimmerman, Alder Yarrow, Sheridan Warrick, Richard Moran (moderator), (bottom row) Frances Dinkelspiel, and Charles Sullivan.

Wine Writers Converse

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M E N L O C O L L E G E 9

D r. Leslie Sekerka is pleased to announce that her book, one that brings together twelve years of her research scholarship, is now available from Springer. Ethics Is a

Daily Deal: Choosing to Build Moral Strength as a Practice has been hailed as a fine contribution to the business ethics genre, given its focus on building moral competency. The professor, known as an expert in Positive Organizational Ethics, said: “The book is the culmination of my work, offering a variety of insights about how each person can choose to be more ethical each and every day.” In addition to this work, she and colleague Marianne Marar Yacobian have collaborated on a cross-discipline study, bringing together their interests on multiculturalism and ethical perspectives. Their article, entitled “Encouraging Informed Bal-ance: An Ethical Path to Understanding Middle Eastern Cultural-ism in Business,” appears in the April edition of the International Journal of Management Education.

Dr. Sekerka also published a chapter in Practicing Organizational Development (4th edition), describing adult moral development

in today’s workplace. Another one of her joint projects, “Play Fair! Use of Inverted Moral Markets to Impose Self-regulatory Constraint,” has just been accepted for presentation at the Euro-pean Group for Organizational Studies. In this work, she and Dr. Derek Stimel (UC Davis) examine the idea of prompting regula-tory constraint in the financial markets via capitalistic means.

In addition, Dr. Sekerka was delighted to present Mr. Huseyin “TJ” Yildirim (a Menlo graduating senior), with the Ethics in Ac-tion Excellence Award. TJ served as a dedicated president to the Business Ethics in Action Club, where he helped to coordinate guest speaker visits and provided community service. TJ also engaged in peer tutoring business ethics students and success-fully completed an independent research project on ethics in family firms. Congratulations “TJ!” Bringing the academic year to a close, Dr. Sekerka’s work in the community continues with the “Being a Better Bear Reading Program” energizing Menlo students to encourage youngsters to think about what it means to be ethical.

Huseyin “TJ” Yildirim ‘16, recipient of the Ethics in Action Excellence Award, and President of the Business Ethics in Action Club.

Ethics is a Daily Deal: Choosing to Build Moral Strength as a Practiceby Leslie Sekerka Professor of Management

Just Published!

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T he Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) assists lower income taxpayers with the preparation of their tax returns. VITA is supported by the United Way and the IRS.

Menlo College has sponsored a VITA site since 2012.

For the 2015 filing season, the Menlo College site was staffed with nine accounting and finance majors who went through ex-tensive training and exams in order to take part in the program. Student volunteers were supervised by Daniel Jung. The Menlo site prepared over 100 tax returns, resulting in over $78,000 of refunds for clients from the local area.

One of those volunteers was Steele Escobedo ’17. Participating in VITA gave Escobedo the opportunity to volunteer as well as get experience in preparing taxes.

Escobedo said, “I decided to be an accounting major because I found the classes to be interesting and I considered it a route into forensic accounting,” said Escobedo. He plans on getting his CPA license after his diploma. Steele has an internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers this summer, and he hopes to work there full-time when he graduates from Menlo College.

Escobedo is a wrestler from Huntington Beach, California. He was drawn to Menlo when his high school wrestling coach in-troduced him to Menlo’s wrestling coach Joey Martinez. Coach Martinez recalled, “I was impressed with his maturity and work ethic in practice. I felt this was a guy who could thrive in our environment. He is a great leader, a hard worker in the class-room (he became an NAIA Scholar All-American this year) and a success on the mat (he placed 6th at Nationals in 2015). I am honored and proud he is part of the wrestling program.”

Escobedo described what he has learned as a Menlo College student-athlete as “being comfortable with being uncomfort-able.” He explained, “In wrestling there are many positions in which you feel endangered, and you have to learn to be comfortable and patient in those positions. You can translate that experience to being a student: being stressed and feeling overwhelmed can often be uncomfortable, but you have to be able to adapt and take it one thing at a time.” His advice to prospective students is “get involved and understand that time management is an essential part of college.”

Janis Zaima, Professor of Accounting and Finance said, “Steele is Menlo College’s representative to the California CPA Society, promoting accounting as a profession. He works with the Ac-counting Club to promote Cal CPA and bring greater student awareness about the profession. He is educating others that accounting is not just ‘debits and credits,’ but a decision-making process of understanding and utilizing financial data. Steele is a perfect example of someone in the accounting profession –

Wrestler Volunteers Tax Prep in VITA Program

Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance Donna Little and her advisee Steele Escobedo ‘17.

dynamic, competitive, smart, and personable. He is a pleasure to have as a student.”

His advisor, Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance Donna Little, added, “Mastering his sport and competing at Nationals, excelling in the rigorous accounting curriculum, rep-resenting our program at CPA Day at the Capitol this year, and participating in community service in VITA, have contributed to Steele being a terrific Menlo student.”

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M E N L O C O L L E G E 1 1

Arete in Agonby Doug Carroll

Professor, Sports Management and Mass Communication

T he ancient Greeks had a fascinating culture that gen-erated many works of art, architecture, athletics, and philosophy that still influence us today. For their labors,

they earned the title of the "cradle of Western civilization." With those ancients, art represented beauty, logic represented truth, and, I believe, sport represented justice. Arete was a concept best translated as striving for excellence in the midst of agon, or struggle. Their athletics were a perfect example of arete in agon, because the superior athlete emerged victorious in a fair contest and justice was served.

A resurrection of Greek thought re-emerged throughout Eu-rope during the Renaissance when the unity of body and mind replaced prevailing medieval beliefs. Drawing upon this rebirth, Western educational institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge created liberal arts curricula that came to include soccer and

rugby. In 19th century America, educational institutions such as Harvard University also adopted the British liberal arts curricu-lum and its inclusion of sports. Although many disparage the excessive role of sports in higher education today, the histori-cal lineage of college athletics in some of our most prestigious universities cannot be denied.

Menlo College students under the tutelage of Professor Tobin visited Greek temples circa 1960s.

Arete was a concept best translated as striving for excellence in the midst of agon, or struggle.

In the 21st century, the global success of sports requires managers with specialized knowledge of its unique cultural, social, and entrepreneurial characteristics. The Menlo College Sports Management concentration responds to this demand and complements the strong student-athlete programs on campus. Graduates of the Sports Management program at Menlo College have embarked on successful careers in sales, marketing, coaching, and sports administration.

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Faculty Notes paper has been accepted for publication in The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought.

Frances Turner, Assistant Professor, MarketingOn the heels of presenting a paper, moderating and attending the academ-ic and practitioner sessions at MCPC 2015 in Montreal (the World Conference on Mass Customization, Personalization and Co-Creation), Assistant Profes-sor Frances Turner was thrilled to be recognized as one of the experts in the field (and “hashtagged” as representing Menlo College) via posts to LinkedIn, and to the website and Facebook page of Fibres Collectives, a fashion design and e-commerce site, whose principals were among the conference attendees. She presented the paper “Enhancing the Consumer’s Value of the Co-Design Experience in Mass Custom-ization: The Relationship Between Perceived Value, Satisfaction, Loyalty Intentions, and Individual Thinking Style,” co-authored with Aurelie Merle, her doctoral supervisor from Grenoble Ecole de Management.

“It’s great to be recognized internationally by both academics and practitioners, especially subsequent to my trip this past June to the 2015 NeuroPsychoEconomics Conference in Copenhagen, where I presented ‘Prophet for Profit: Can Neuromarketing Accurately Identify Individual Thinking Style to Enhance Consumer Experience and Loyalty?’ a paper co-authored with Professor Mark Hager,” said Turner.

Arthurlene Towner, Adjunct ProfessorService dogs visited the campus for a disability awareness event sponsored by Professor Arthurlene Towner’s PSY-SSC 482 Understanding Disability Class with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). (see photo below)

Harold Justman, Adjunct Professsor, Real Estate

Professor Harold Justman spoke at two major real estate law programs. The Bar Association of San Francisco presented him in a real estate program entitled, “Common Real Estate Practices and Their Pitfalls.” The program addressed current real estate industry practices and the legal problems associated with them. The topics covered included electronic signatures, auction pricing, and off market sales. The Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of California presented Professor Justman in a real estate program entitled, “Recent Develop-ments In California Mortgage Law.” This program explained the changes in mortgage law in California as a result of the foreclo-sure crisis attendant upon the Great Recession. The program covered foreclosure law, loan modification law, and tort law.

Craig Medlen, Professsor, EconomicsProfessor Craig Medlen said, “Only with the coming of mo-nopoly power during the First Merger Wave of 1895-1904 did economists endorse present value analysis, a mainstay of a cur-rent course in elementary finance. Under present value analysis, the values of capital assets are presumed to be the discounted putative returns associated with an uncertain future.” Professor Medlen’s paper, “Veblen’s Discounted Streams: Monopoly and Make-Believe,” unearths Thorstein Veblen’s first critical look at the underlying presumptions of present value. “Veblen main-tained that the assignment of future value imputations was an exercise in make-believe that could only occur when significant amounts of monopoly power entered the industrial system,” said Medlen. “Under a competitive order, capital assets were valued in terms of replacement costs. In Veblen’s view, modern “make-believe” finance was intimately rooted in an evolution-ary shift from competition to monopoly.“ Professor Medlen’s

Frances Turner

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T he Menlo College community mourns the loss of Professor Ron Kovas, who died peacefully in his

sleep on April 8, 2016. Professor Kovas taught marketing and advertising classes at Menlo College.

Dating from his time as the owner and principal of the business consulting firm Venture Management Partners, Professor Kovas was known for his time-honored quotes from the trade, such as “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” “To be successful you need three things: persistence, persistence, persistence,” and “Don’t give up, show up!”

His stories about his professional life as an adman and as part of marketing man-agement in the early years of advertising were filled with real-life lessons about entrepreneurism, strategy, and busi-ness savvy. He was skilled at coaching students on embellishing the golden nugget in their business presentations for success in the world of marketing.

“All the hard work was worth it when you earned his praise and respect, because he taught with passion and love,” said Zara Matevosyan ‘15. “Zara and I were in his Senior Capstone class,” Ashley Diamond ’15 recalled. “We spent months on our project with him. He gave us amazing advice and coached us on our careers. He was a brilliant and genuine professor. We gave him a framed picture of our Capstone Presentation on Menlo Connect Day engraved with the words The best professors teach from the heart. Thanks for everything. He kept the photo on his desk.”

“I will never forget his crazy marketing stories and his analysis of the Super Bowl commercials in Integrated Marketing. He was an inspiration to the whole Menlo Community,” said Taylor Morrow ’16.

“Professor Kovas was not your ‘normal’ professor,” said Stacy Parra ‘16. “He pushed us to our limits and genuine-ly wanted to see us succeed. He shared life lessons, his best tips, and numerous

Ron Kovas, Professor of Management

inspirational stories. There was still so much more to learn from him, but I will forever hold onto all that I was fortunate to gain.”

Huseyin Yildirim ‘16 recalled, “When I first met Professor Kovas, we started on the wrong foot. He was really strict, and I wasn’t giving my best effort to partici-pating in his class. As time passed, even though I was anxious, I wanted to prove myself to him. I realized that he deserved respect and that there was truth in his teaching about ‘the real life.’ His class was one of the hardest at Menlo College, but I learned more from him than any other class. He always found a way to push our limits.” 

Professor of Finance Soumen De said, “One of the remarkable attributes of Ron’s conversational style and output was that he drew upon his rich experi-ence and memory to answer the ques-tions that were posed to him. The past, present, and the future interchanged so seamlessly in his mind that one came to realize very quickly that he thoroughly enjoyed living. That is why he will be missed all the more.”

Professor of Management Leslie Sekerka said, “Ron was the epitome of carpe diem at Menlo. He taught every one of his students how to rise to the oc-casion, insisting upon a platform of pro-fessionalism and standards of excellence. Ron valued and taught his Capstone students that hard work and responsibil-ity are at the center of entrepreneurial success. His legacy will be carried on through the lives of all of his students.” 

Associate Professor of Mass Communica-tion and Marketing Doug Carroll spoke of Ron’s dedication to his students. Assistant Professor of Marketing Frances Turner added, “Ron loved our students and alumni dearly, and he fulfilled his life-long passion for teaching here at Menlo.” 

“The lessons he taught will stay with me forever. Menlo was lucky to have him as an Oak,” said Bianca Magpayo ‘16.

Ron Kovas’ Marketing 419 class at ABC TV. PHOTO: STACY PARRA ‘16

IN MEMORIAM

A GIFT TO THE RON KOVAS SCHOLARSHIP FUND MAY BE MADE AT WWW.MENLO.EDU/WAYS-TO-GIVE/

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Frances Sorenson ‘08 by Doug Carroll Professor, Sports Management and Mass Communication

F rances Sorenson (Frannie) was an outstanding student in the Sport Management program. Somehow

she managed A+, honor-student aca-demic credentials at the same time she was helping to lead her team on the bas-ketball court. She excelled in everything she attempted and while the tediousness involved in such accomplishments might make some grumpy, Frances always did it with the highest degree of cheerfulness.

Will Ireton ’12by Leslie Sekerka Professor, Management

W ill Ireton ‘12 is a great example of how sports and ethics can go hand in hand. We hear in the

press every day how winning, profit, and power often take the lead in business, which is a part of the sports entertain-ment industry. But ethical leaders strive to achieve their goals with moral courage.

As a student athlete, Will was a dedicated role model on campus. He did so in quiet, consistent, yet determined and demon-strative ways. Dropping by my office, he would share stories about how he had a passion for baseball, but he wanted to maintain his personal values on the field. This was not always easy. Sometimes he was rebuked for his commitment to be-ing ethical. Sometimes he had to stand up to peers, where there was pressure to conform to norms that were below his standards. This meant being alone sometimes, even though he was part of the team. Moral courage means you may have to fly solo on occasion, speaking truth to power or stepping back when you know what the group is doing is wrong.

An especially poignant example, simply because it was one of those small things, is a typical response by Will. He engaged in an action that just makes the world a better place. After a game one day, whoever had been assigned to clean up the field had left. He was the only one around. Even though it wasn’t his

Faculty on Alumni AthletesIf I had not seen anyone smile the entire day, I could always count on seeing a smile on Frannie’s face. One of the most mature students I’ve ever had in thirty years of teaching, she seemed to fully grasp the seriousness of the issue but steadfastly maintained a sense of goodwill.

It came as no surprise that she success-fully completed the Master’s degree program in Sport Management at Univer-sity of San Francisco and now holds an important position of Director of Camps in the Athletic Department at Stanford University.

Nate Jackson ’02by Doug Carroll Professor, Sports Management and Mass Communication

Nate Jackson ‘02, has demonstrated the original construct of arete [see page 11 for a related article on arete] in all of his endeavors. As a star wide receiver for the Menlo College football team, Nate set records and helped lead his team to victory on the field. Using his contacts acquired at Menlo, Nate secured a tryout for the National Football League and was eventually signed by the Denver Broncos.

After a six-year NFL career, Nate has embarked on his new career as an author and has published his memoir, Slow Get-ting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile, published by Harper Collins, 2013.

Congratulations to Nate for his arete as a student-athlete, a professional football player, and as an author.

job, he did the clean up chores anyway. Will understands that the depth of your character is revealed in the little things you do, each and every day. Stepping up to the plate and leaving things better than the way you found them is ethics in action.

Will has since gone on to achieve a tre-mendously successful career in baseball, living his ethical values and life-long dream. He has worked with the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, then joined a sports management company in Japan. In September 2015, Will became the recruiting manager for Team Philip-pines in the World Baseball Classic tour-nament (an MLB sponsored event) held in Sydney, Australia. He was put in charge of global scouting to recruit players with Filipino heritage. At the conclusion of this assignment he was hired by the LA Dodg-ers. Like all ethical leaders, Will believes that moral courage is a part of good man-agement AND good sportsmanship.

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Athletes Transition CreativelyBrennen Facchini attended Menlo College from 2004-2008 and played for the Oaks baseball team. After graduating, Brennen attended graduate school at St. Mary’s College of California, and is now a Marriage Family Therapist Intern for Contra Costa County and an adjunct faculty member at Menlo.

Dear Athletic Alums,

A conversation began amongst athletic alumni, recalling our glory days of resilience, comradery,

victory, and loss that slipped into a dark forest when we retired.

The stories that ensued were about life after closed lockers, the lessons from risks we took, the pieces we glued to our fragmented identity, and the people who accepted, or rejected us in our tribulations post athlete-hood.

We talked about the vortex of confusion following athletics, and wondered, “Who am I now?”

Research shows we entered that vortex for a series of reasons. First, the ages of 19-25 are unstable as identities are

explored, academic paths fluctuate, multiple love relationships are under-taken, and future plans frequently shift. Athletes lose four components following

retirement: an identity, support system, life structure, and motivation to find meaning. We face dealing with loss, depression, anxiety, anger, and fear.

Finding meaning after sport retirement releases a pool of instability for athletes. A pool others and I fell deeply into after playing at Menlo.

To assist athletes, I created a map to navi-gate current athletes through their future vortex. I presented the map to a mentor, Dr. Mark Hager, following my graduate work and discovered Menlo had an edu-cational niche for athletic psychology.

Finding meaning, after sport retirement, releases a pool of instability for athletes. A pool others and I fell deeply into after playing at Menlo.

The map is now offered at Menlo in the form of a class called Transition Creatively (TC). TC has four interconnected routes.

1. Encourage athletes to seek out sepa-rate creative talents through experi-ential means. New creative activities generate a parallel self, a parallel tract prior to retirement.

2. Build support networks for emotional struggles post athlete-hood.

3. Learn the process of transition through a theoretical lens.

4. Build the Menlo athletic community through advocacy for course content.

Our community, from within Menlo College, has grown exponentially each week, and our conversations are ready for a shift.

Join us, fellow Oaks, in our community dialogue at transition.creatively@gmail.com, designed to further this conversa-tion with support from other athletes navigating their transition.

Warmly, Brennen Facchini ‘08

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Student-Athlete Herrera-Farias Overcomes Obstacles

G uillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the periph-eral nervous system. When severe, a person with this

disorder is almost totally paralyzed. No one knows why Guillain-Barré — which is not contagious — strikes some people and not others.

You can imagine how Salvador Herrera-Farias felt when he was told that his mother, a breast cancer survivor, was diagnosed with the disorder in 2014. Herrera-Farias, who lost his father when he was young, shares the head of household responsibili-ties with his older sister and teenage brother.

The extra burden of caring for an ill parent in addition to study-ing and practicing soccer takes an extra dose of mental strength. “It is challenging, but I know I have to do it. I don’t have a choice,” explained Herrera-Farias.

Herrera-Farias, known as Chava, is a sophomore accounting major from East Palo Alto.

“Salvador is a remarkable young man,” said Professor Susanna Wong. “He is very focused and engaged in class despite his responsibilities at home. He is a role model for students.”

Herrera-Farias was introduced to the College when a high school friend brought him to open day spring training for soccer. Menlo soccer coach Eric Bucchere offered Herrera-Farias an athletic scholarship that made it possible for him to attend Menlo. He is now a central defender for the soccer team.

Herrera-Farias said, “Soccer is a sport where I can forget every-thing, and I can feel like I’m working toward something. It’s a passion and it’s an important part of who I am.”

“Chava is one of the best young men I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. His outlook on life is unconditionally positive, and it has a massive impact on our team,” said Coach Eric Bucchere. “Sometimes I actually forget the responsibilities he has at home. He never talks about it, and he’s so dialed in on the field and in the classroom. He’s an extraordinary young man.”

You can help Herrera-Farias and other Menlo students facing similar challenges by giving generously for scholarship support.

Salvador Herrera-Farias in action. PHOTO: OAKSSPORTS.COM

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Pamela Gullard teaches literature at Menlo College. Her collected short fiction, “Breathe of Every Other Stroke,” published by Henry Holt, has been reissued by Macmillan in Kindle format.

By Pamela Gullard

M enlo College students hone their talents in class, but learning does not stop there. Extracurricular activities, such as demanding campus jobs and thirty student-run

clubs, allow students to gain wisdom about leadership, team dynamics, and perseverance. This special section celebrates another arena for student development: sports. Menlo College

has perfected the student-athlete model, with coaches and faculty working together to help players develop quickness, problem-solving tools, and the skills to become valued members of a group.

Athletic Director Keith Spataro explains the conscious vision for Menlo College sports. “We don’t recruit just for a bundle of physical abilities. Instead, we want to find and support the whole student, on and off the field.” Menlo College has 275 men and women participating in 15 college sports. In this section, you will hear from athletes, coaches, and faculty as they explain the grand collaboration that makes an ideal environment for stu-dent-athletes to grow and contribute to the Menlo community.

Salvador Herrera-Farias and his team in action at the 2015 Menlo versus Biola game. PHOTO: OAKSSPORTS.COM

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Menlo College Athletic Department Enacts a VisionKeith Spataro became the Athletic Director at Menlo College in 2008.He has received many honors, including Cal-Pac’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2009-10 and 2013-14. He has served Menlo College in many capacities, including as wrestling coach and Adjunct Professor in Sports Management and Health. He holds a master’s degree from Saint Mary’s College.

By Keith Spataro

I t is a cliché to say sports build character, but at Menlo College our vision, inten-

tional action, and commitment to character development in athletics define who we are. While each of our programs and all of our student-athletes represent us differently, the common thread is character. Throughout our depart-ment, we discuss and enact our

core covenants by instilling responsibility, commitment, integrity, leadership, and engagement. On most campuses these are merely front words, but at Menlo College we take great pride not only in saying who we are, but proving it through our actions.

Building a department of character starts and ends with quality people. Our coaches and staff are hired with great intention. They have to be people who fit what we say we are. It is critical to find coaches and staff who believe that sport done right is life-chang-ing and life-developing. As a team, we teach our student-athletes strong, healthy character traits that translate into all aspects of their day-to-day lives.

Each of our student-athletes is required to complete 30 hours of community service annually, thereby learning the satisfaction of giving back. Through blood drives, Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank, and afterschool reading programs, servant leadership permeates the Department of Athletics.

Additionally, more than 50% of Menlo’s annual Dean’s List honor-ees are student-athletes, as well as 60% of those in student govern-ment, and 65% of the resident assistants. These statistics speak to our intentional recruitment of high-achieving student-athletes who are receptive to the methods of a character-driven athletics department.

The obvious starting point in the recruitment process is finding a student-athlete who can play at a high level. But beyond that, our coaches are deliberate about combing through recruits to find other qualities that align with our vision of a college athletics department. Our end goal is to find high achieving, highly

engaged young adults who are committed to being both great team members and servant leaders. Successful recruiting within these parameters yields tremendous benefit for both the student-athlete and Menlo College.

Annually, we earn many awards and accolades, from All-Confer-ence and All-American to a variety of academic awards. None of those are more important than the NAIA Champions of Character Award, which we have been awarded for six consecutive years. This award measures commitment in five key areas: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship, and Servant Leadership. It is bestowed upon athletics departments on a three-tiered scale with up to 100 points awarded for various character-driven tasks and achievements. Last year, Menlo College Athletics earned 92 of 100 points to claim top honors as a “Gold Institution,” and was the only such honoree within our conference.

Character development through athletics isn’t just a vision, but rather a carefully planned and executed process to ensure our student-athletes are learning and developing lifelong skills that will lead to success in all areas of their lives. Character develop-ment and Menlo Athletics are indeed synonymous.

Keith Spataro, Director, Athletics

Members of the 2011 basketball team train on the track.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 1 9

Learning to Fail: Lessons Learned from Athletics and Academia

Right, Jodie Austin, Ph.D., is assistant professor of English at Menlo College. Left, Jake McKinley became the coach of Menlo College’s winning baseball team in 2013.

By Jake McKinley and Jodie Austin

T he life of a college athlete is hectic to say the least. In most cases, today’s student-athlete juggles a full-time class schedule, daily practices, individual work with coaches, and

mandatory conditioning sessions. This doesn’t include other re-quired activities such as community service, facility maintenance, and other team building exercises. The expectations for today’s student-athlete are high, both on and off the field. As Menlo College basketball player Andrew Baker recently testified: “All you can do is hope a professor understands and gives you time to catch up. Most of the time they do not.”

Does this mean that athletes let their studies fall to the wayside? Data suggests it does not. Many student-athletes across the country are thriving in the classroom. In fact, being an athlete can actually contribute to becoming a better student.

One reason may be the athlete’s ability to handle failure. In his book Writing Without Teachers, celebrated writing theorist Peter Elbow describes his writing-related anxieties in graduate school at Harvard: “I barely managed to write my first-semester papers, and they were judged unsatisfactory, and I knew things wouldn’t get better . . . I felt a total failure. I was having trouble functioning and I never wanted to have anything to do with books or the academy again.”1 By worrying over what his writing was not, Elbow’s writing failed to materialize altogether. Expectations caused paralysis.

And yet, Peter Elbow has since gone on to be one of the most influential voices in academia. A champion of freewriting without expectation, Elbow’s works celebrate spontaneity and the idea that the best writing happens when no one is watching. By turn-ing off our critical instincts, we perform better. The adage that we are “our own worst critics” has never been truer. No one knows this better than the college athlete.

Regardless of their sport or overall success, all collegiate athletes fail. They miss shots, strike out, and of course lose contests. Although failure sounds negative, it may be the single greatest contributor to success. It is failure as an athlete that promotes resiliency and the desire to make adjustments. In turn, ingrain-ing these character traits into a person may make them a better student.

For example, Jake McKinley, the co-author of this article, despised math after basic algebra. It just didn’t make sense to him and he failed constantly. By the time he graduated from college, though, his math skills actually had become quite good. “I credit baseball for that,” he says. “Baseball is a game that is founded on failure. For example, in my best year as a college baseball player, I finished with a .291 batting average. For those who aren’t baseball people, that means I failed 70.9% of the time… and that is considered quite good. With the constant failure, a burning desire grew in me to improve.”

The potential for success through failure crosses all sports and levels. Elite NFL quarterbacks, for example, typically miss 40% of their throws. Athletes fail. A lot. And yet, through this process, they get good at failing, picking themselves up, making adjustments, and trying to improve.

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Jake McKinley became the coach of Menlo College’s baseball team in 2013. He mentors student-athletes on and off the field, using wisdom gained from his career as a standout pitcher and first baseman at Bethany University, and as a professional player.

By Jake McKinley

A ll athletes have one thing in common – there is an expiration date on all playing careers. No matter how good an athlete is at his or her craft, their playing days

will inevitably come to an end, and unfortunately, it oftentimes ends in an abrupt or unexpected fashion. As a former profes-sional baseball player, I know this quite well. My playing career ended suddenly from a shoulder injury. Coping with this reality when it arrives is terrifying for passionate athletes. That being said, I have two bits of advice for athletes to cope with the reality of their own expiration date.

First, athletes must appreciate and intentionally enjoy every day they get to compete before that expiration date comes. I frequently tell our players to keep the pleasure greater than the pressure. Perhaps the most common regret I hear from retired athletes is that they wish they had enjoyed it more and not wor-ried so much about outcomes. Before the expiration date comes, athletes should always ask themselves if they are having fun out there. If they aren’t having fun, regret may be in their future.

After one’s career ends, giving back to the game is paramount to the coping process. Sports give us so much more than wins and losses; they provide relationships, competition, and most impor-tantly, they are a lot of fun. While there is no magical way to make it feel better right away, giving back to our game keeps us in-volved, and it allows us to share our experiences and knowledge with rising athletes. Giving back is just as rewarding as hitting a homerun or striking out a hitter . . . any day of the week.

Life After Leaving Your TeamAs academic and athletic mentors, we are often fearful that our students will fail, or that we will fail them. What we may forget is the need to have a space for failure in our classrooms and on the field. This is not to say that we shouldn’t encourage our students to succeed— far from it. Rather, failure should consistently be embedded into our formulas for learning. As instructors, we should be encouraging low-stakes writing assignments, risky lesson plans, and exams that resist easy reward. Our goal should be to practice often and imperfectly in order to cultivate a love for the awkward missteps. Similarly, coaches should create training sessions where failure is bound to happen. High-achieving people must be challenged just beyond what they believe their current ceiling is. Creating a culture where failure is looked at as a teach-able moment will produce athletes who play with less fear, and are willing to take more risks. Many coaches know that the last thing they want is an athlete with a “play it safe” mentality.

Aggressive failure with self-correction is a learning foundation for the best athletes in the world. By contrast, obsession with grades, a score, or outcomes may stunt the growth of the learner and stray from taking the chances that Elbow discusses. At the end of the day, it’s worth recognizing that perhaps what is most necessary for our students— and for us— is the continual possibility of failure: not as a frightening inevitability, but a potentially valuable one.

1 Peter Elbow, Writing Without Teachers. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1998, xi.

Jake McKinley (right) and the Menlo College baseball team in 2016.

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Coach of the YearTy Lauderdale ‘17 was a member of Menlo’s football team He was also the Master of Ceremonies par excellence for Apollo Night, showcasing Menlo talent. He reflects on his athletic experience as a coach.

By Ty Lauderdale ’17

F rom the beginning of my freshman year through my sophomore year, I trained and coached youth ages 3-7 years old in basketball. Chris Tabarez, regional manager of

Hi Five Sports, offered me the coaching opportunity, and I was instantly intrigued by its challenges. During my time as a coach I learned that it was a job unlike any other. At first I was nervous coaching these talented individuals and my first year was diffi-cult. Yet after a few weeks into the job I formed a bond with the children, interacting with them as if they were my own brothers or sisters. As the season progressed, my passion for coaching grew. My team fell short of the championship, but I was proud of each player.

During my time coaching, I learned how individually children approach sports. Every day is an obstacle and every moment is an adventure. Each day, the kids act differently. Some are shy and simply need motivation or encouragement to get in the “zone.” Others are confident and know of their athletic abilities before practice or training even begins. During the first practice of my kindergarten team, the Phoenix Suns, several kids were shooting three-pointers while the rest were barely able to make one basket. Some could not shoot two feet away from the rim. From this moment, I knew I had to inspire and keep the other kids motivated. One kid who especially stuck out from the crowd was Tyler.

Tyler was not athletic, skilled, or at all interested in basketball. He was, however, one of the most emotional kids on my team. After the first practice, his parents wanted me to coach him in my spare time and so I did. He grew into an exceptional basketball player, and as we grew closer to the championship, I saw his confidence transcend time. The team as a whole became one unit and every kid had enough confidence in their abilities to contribute.

My favorite experience from coaching was when I came to practice the day of our first playoff game. Before I even walked onto the court, my team began to practice. They started the lay-up lines on their own and even practiced rebound drills. I was so proud to see that kids have the ability to learn and grow so much when they are all treated with respect for their intelli-gence and their opinions. Kids in sports can accomplish amazing things when they are allowed to think and play for themselves.

Ty Lauderdale ‘17 and the youth he coached at Hi Five Sports.

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By Brian Brownfield ‘17

M enlo College offers the benefits of a small college while provid-ing athletic opportunities that

compete with larger universities. Over forty percent of the student body are student-athletes, a percentage unrivaled among similar institutions. With so many students involved in athletics, one might assume that there is some sort of divide between athletes and typical students. However, just a short stay on campus shows the way athletes and non-athletes interconnect on Menlo’s campus.

Even students who no longer partici-pate in a varsity sport may have athletic backgrounds. I personally do not play a sport at Menlo, but played baseball and participated in bowling champion-ships growing up. Many non-athletes on campus are similarly sports-inclined, and this helps erase some typical cliques that form amongst athletes. That old stereo-type of athletes only hanging out with their teammates does not exist on this campus. Part of the unique “Menlo Expe-rience” comes from the multi-dimension-al quality of student-athletes that Menlo attracts. As competitive as they are on the field, they are genuine human beings off the field, easing the integration of athletes and non-athletes.

Another part of this seamless cohe-sion involves the opportunities Menlo students have to get involved in athlet-ics. Non-athletes at Menlo are given a plethora of intramural and club sports to participate in. In the fall semester of 2015, Menlo introduced its first ever intramural sport system, designed to give more choices for sport in a fun and competitive environment. Leagues and tournaments are held twice each week, and offer ev-erything from three-on-three basketball to ladderball and Angry Birds. Rotating

the games to keep things fresh, the new intramural system has its wide range of activities to stimulate the interests of as many students on campus as possible.

Club sports have also been on the rise at Menlo, with Competitive Cheer, Rugby, and Ultimate Frisbee being the three largest. As co-founder and co-president of Menlo Ultimate, I am proud to say the unification of athletes and non-athletes has been tremendous. Many of our play-ers are former athletes, but the improve-ment of non-athletes is what gets me the most excited. As a team, we watch videos from professional teams, practice their plays, and compete against other schools such as San Francisco State and Stanford.

Students also comprise a large number of workers who make home athletic events run smoothly. Menlo Athletics relies on student-workers to run game-day operations such as scoreboards, live stats,

The Athlete/Non-Athlete Divide on College Campuses

camera feeds, and even broadcasts. My role for Menlo Athletics is as the sports broadcaster for all home games, helping me become “The Voice of the Menlo Oaks.” It has given me new insight into what it takes to run a college athletic department, and is proof that the student body plays a pivotal role on the sidelines, in the booth, and in the stands. This may not emphasize the physical participation of sports, but for those who want to work in the sports world, the experience could not be better. In reality, the number of students who are involved in athletics in any form at Menlo nearly encompass the entire school.

In the nation-wide talk about a divide between athletes and non-athletes, Menlo College stands out in doing a fantastic job of shrinking the gap and providing a truly unique experience for all its students.

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Brian Brownfield calls a Menlo College game.

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Jim Orr, SBA ’78, demonstrates his winning high jump.

Vintage Athletic Moments

M enlo College, founded in 1927, began building athletic teams in the midst of what has been called the Golden Age of Sports. Throughout the U.S., athletic events,

professional and college level, flourished in the 1920s as larger stadiums and gyms were built, the new-fangled radio allowed fans to follow distant teams, and the strong economy (soon to be toppled) allowed workers more time to be spectators.

Menlo College has maintained that era’s enthusiasm for sports throughout its existence. Outstanding athletes—and those who simply love the camaraderie of being on a team—have been

able to choose from a long list of sports through the decades. Menlo’s first basketball team was organized in 1929 by athletic director Dud deGroot. Dean William Kratt coached golf and polo in the 1930s, and by the end of the decade, Menlo had championship rugby, football, tennis, and track teams.

The list goes on, including crew, swimming, water polo, soccer, wrestling, and others. Cheryl Collins, Menlo College Archivist, has pulled the vintage photos on these pages from the files. Please send us any you have stashed in a drawer, along with stories of the best moments from your era to: ccollins@menlo.edu. We will scan and return them, with many thanks for letting others relive the happy times of your college days.

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Top left, Ragan Lusk [#31] and his basketball team in 1973.

Top right, High hurdler Frederick Lawson Adams, Jr. ‘48 in perfect form.

Middle, the 1928 football team, including: Lloyd Brant, Captain-Elect Paul Brophy, Walter Hempel, Henry Humfreville, Hugh Keenan, Francis Larson, Earle Lloyd, Captain Robert McCaughern, Arthur Parpey, Phillip Parslow, Carl Von Saltza, John Von Saltza, Bill Toepke, Seldon Willis.

Below right, Adriane Napp L&S ’82 won the 1981 tennis singles champi-onship of the Coast Conference and won the state singles championship.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 2 5

Co-captain (with Alison Taylor) Glorious Wise leads the first Menlo College cheer squad in 1994-1995.

Above, the newly formed golf team of 1938, coached by Dean William E. Kratt, including Charles Finger ’39, John Ballinger ’38, Robert Fuller ’38, Dean Kratt, Dee Replogle ’38 [Hall of Fame 1968], Paul Rudolph ’38, Edgar Robert Skelley ’38.

Left, a runner crosses the finish line in the late 1950s.

In 1944, so many college men had enlisted in the war that the Menlo team included younger Menlo School players. Back row left to right, Coach Harcleroad, Dick Myren ’44, Jack Henry ’47, Don Jackson ’44, Langdon White ’44, Gil Wayne ’44. Front row, Bert Olsen ’47, John Brock ’44, Al Werry ’46, Ed Petersen ’44, Robert Quinonez ’45.

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Steele Escobedo (top) works to secure a take down against his opponent from San Francisco State in a dual match earlier this season.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 2 7

Champions of Character

FIVE-STAR INSTITUTION

2014-2015G O L D

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By Bill Failing ’60 Knight in the Grand Ducal Order of the Oak Crown

In 2000, I was appointed to represent The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as Honorary Consul in the Oregon

Consular Corps.

At the time, Portland International Airport was a major freight hub for Car-golux Airlines, the world’s fifth largest international airfreight carrier. My job for the Government of Luxembourg was to help maintain a friendly environment in Portland for Cargolux. Today, this has evolved into promoting Luxembourg as a business-friendly environment for in-terested U.S. companies headquartered in the Pacific Northwest.

Arcelor-Mittal, one of the world’s largest steelmakers is based in Luxembourg. It

has steel mills in the United States, and specializes in making steel rails for mass transit. Portland has served as a proto-type for modern streetcar systems, and has pioneered the use of Arcelor-Mittal steel rails.

The Consular Corps engages with inter-national members and interacts with the City of Portland in a trade fair, and schol-arship program for Oregon universities.

My family and I have properties in Southern France which we visit annually. I always include a visit to Luxembourg in these European travels which keeps me up-to-date with European Union activi-ties, and Luxembourg itself.

Because I’ve been a homeowner in France’s Provence region for 25+ years, my involvement with European affairs in

Jean-Louis Wolzfeld, Luxembourg Ambassador to the United States, and Bill Failing ’60.

Oregon has been an easy and enjoy-

able task.

In 2015, I was awarded the distinction of a Knight in the Grand Ducal Order of the Oak Crown as appreciation for my services to the Grand Duchy of Luxem-bourg during my tenure as Honorary Consul of Luxembourg in Oregon.

The crest of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Knight in the Grand Ducal Order of the Oak Crown

M E N L O C O L L E G E 2 9

Menlo College welcomed Houston-based social artist Rick Lowe as a guest speaker at

Menlo’s Writing & Oral Communication Center. Lowe’s visit to Menlo College was co-sponsored by several campus orga-nizations, including the Black Student Union, Art Club, Journalism Club, Net Im-pact Club, and Art Committee. The event was organized by Erik Bakke, Director of the Writing Center and Intensive English Program.

Lowe’s approach to community revi-talization has transformed neglected neighborhoods into vibrant centers of public art. He spoke about his experience engaging communities in art.

One of his first projects was a block-and -a-half of derelict shotgun houses built in the 1930s in Houston. He and a group of artists turned them into Project Row Houses, with an engaged community center to celebrate the diversity of its members. Lowe has since kindled similar community projects in other cities, including Los Angeles, New Orleans, and North Dallas.

A Visit With Social Artist Rick LoweLowe inspired the Menlo audience to look at life as a work of art. He said that “with open minds and curiosity we can create solutions for the social problems that we see around us. Creativity and an eye for beauty will help us transform our communities and bring meaning to ourselves as well as society.”

In 2013, President Obama appointed Rick Lowe to the National Council on the Arts. In 2014, Rick Lowe was a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Currently, he is the Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor at Stanford’s Haas Center for Public Service.

With open minds and curiosity we can create solutions for the social problems that we see around us. -Rick Lowe

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Conner Todd founded the Menlo College/Peninsula Food Runners partnership to ar-range for Sodexo leftovers to be delivered to local shelters and churches to provide food for those in need. His efforts have resulted in 20-70 people receiving a hot meal everyday.

By Gerardo Marenco, Sodexo Marketing

A n entire pan of hot garden veg-etable pizza slides off the serving tray and straight into the trash bin.

Across town, a shelter grapples with the issue of not having enough food to serve.

Enter Connor Todd, a senior at Menlo College.

In a few short hours, Connor and his team have collected enough surplus food from Menlo Dining to deliver to one of four local churches.

This exchange is the culmination of over a year of dedication and persistence Connor has shown in connecting our

Running to Those in Needdining hall to those in need in our greater community.

“I would just see all of this uneaten food going straight into the trash bin. It wasn’t even the compost bin at that time,” says Connor, reflecting back on his employ-ment in the dining hall during the Fall of 2014.

For Connor, a simple google search led him to the organization he was looking for–Food Runners. “I was just trying to find someone who was doing something about the food waste in our area.” Food Runners is a 27-year-old organization started by Mary Risley. Risley's charity connects local businesses with shelters and churches. Working off of a purely grassroots model they deliver to over 450 Bay Area organizations. Now thanks to Connor, our school can be counted on as a donor.

So far the recipients of our uneaten lunch meals have been United Methodist, Grace Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, and All Saints Episcopal Church. “It’s so refreshing to finally see it happen-ing. People say it’s so easy, but no one does anything about it,” Connor exclaims.

People should re-evaluate their values and be aware of how they impact our community, Connor points out. “If you see the need to change something take the steps to do it yourself.” In his quest to spread our leftovers to local shelters, three others have joined his cause: Timothy Burch, Chelsea Salinas, and Ashley Schumann. Together they hope to spread the awareness of Food Runners and the contribution our school offers the local community.

For information on running food to local shelters or donating, contact gerardo.marenco@sodexo.com

Gerardo Marenco, Sodexo Marketing, Conner Todd ‘16, and Neville Mendez of Sodexo with food for Conner’s leftover delivery project. PHOTO: ANDREY POLIAKOV

M E N L O C O L L E G E 3 1

Dash for the Trash

W riting Center & Intensive English Program Director Erik Bakke planned Dash for the Trash, an event to help the community make sustainable choices. Student organizer Conner Todd ‘16 and Assistant Athletic Director Jackie

Greulich helped set up the race across the Quad. Contestants had to run with items taken from campus wastebaskets and toss them into one of the three receptacles of the “trash” bins – recycle, compost, or landfill.

The garbage stations were supervised by expert volunteers Devin Gaines ’16 and Director of Oral Communication Programs Dr. Marianne Neuwirth, who supervised contenders on their correct choice of disposal. After competitors disposed items in the correct receptacle, they raced to the finish line where prizes (repurposed not purchased) were given out to the winners, and second chances were encouraged. About twenty-five students enjoyed the activities.

“The decision on disposal method is confusing if you’re trying to be sustainably conscious,” said Gaines, who is Captain of the environmental group Net Impact Menlo College.

Conner Todd added, “Did you know that disposable razor blades go in the recycle bin when you’re ready to trash them; the compost bin is the place to dispose of greasy pizza boxes and paper coffee cups; the landfill bin is the place to toss packing peanuts, bubble wrap, pens and pencils? Student volunteers and I are here to help with the decision making process.”

Bakke, a member of the Sustainability Task Force, said, “This group of volunteers dubbed Gang Green grew out of the work Director of Student Success Andrea Peeters

From October to December 2015, Menlo College diverted 30 tons of waste to compost or recycling is doing with the Sustainability Task Force. The active involvement of Menlo students and faculty and staff across the campus is key to decreasing the amount of waste Menlo College puts into the landfill.”

Stand-alone compost and recycle bins are inside campus buildings and bins with three distinct receptacles are outside of buildings. Disposable food containers and food waste should be put into the compost.

More than six million tons of food prod-ucts are dumped in California every year. Food is the largest single source of waste in California, making up 15.5 percent of the waste stream.

Recology, San Mateo County’s Waste Zero program, reports “waste decom-poses and creates methane gas, which is 23 times more potent than carbon diox-ide and is directly attributed to climate change. Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic waste into a new soil amendment rich in nutrients that can be used for organic farming, vineyards and highway erosion and control projects.”

Shaquille “Shaq” McCray ‘17 and Devin Gaines ‘16 test out Dash for the Trash.

Left to right, Jackie Greulich and Conner Todd ‘16 dash with their trash.

Grow Another Oak!Help the next generation of Menlo Oaks get grounded and get ahead.

n Recommend Menlo College to prospective students

n Hire a Menlo student for a summer internship or full-time job

n Volunteer to help students with career preparation

n Encourage classmates to join in your support of Menlo

n Make a gift to support our students at www.menlo.edu\ways-to-give

Get involved! Call the Advancement Office at 650-543-3823

Join the Oak Grove – Stay connected with Menlo alumni at College events and

through our social media. Check out the latest at www.menlo.edu/alumni/activities-and-events/

Graduates Joel Palabricia and Javier Garcia celebrate at Commencement. PHOTO: ANDREY POLIAKOV

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M E N L O C O L L E G E 3 3

OCTOBER 28Network with Menlo College Alumni

CONNECT

OCTOBER 29

SAVE THE DATE @ MENLO COLLEGE The perfect time to (re)connect at a 2-day Celebration of the Menlo Family!

An opportunity for students to develop important networking skills meet-ing alumni, parents, and corporate partners

1 pm-2:30 pm Student Etiquette Luncheon We are seeking volunteers to help students navigate the challenges of business lunches and the lunch interview

4-6:30 pm Keynote Address and Speed Networking Reception • “Quiet: The Power of the Introvert in a World that

Won’t Stop Talking”—Discussion of managing business expectations in networking when you’re an introvert

• Speed Networking—Meet Menlo students and help them hone their networking skills in this fun and fast-paced format. Network with Menlo alumni, parents, and corporate partners, too

6:30 pm- 8 pm Class of 1966 50th Reunion and Class of 1976 40th Reunion Reception Reconnect with classmates at this VIP cocktail reception at the campus home of Menlo president and first lady, Rich and Carol Moran.

A day of fun with live music, student and alumni sports competitions, faculty lectures, and delicious OAKtoberFest food and drink.

9 am- 3 pm Athletics Varsity and Alumni Games

10:30 am- Noon Carlos López Soccer Tournament, Cartan Field

Noon-3 pm Lunch and Activities on the Quad

Register: www.menlo.edu/events/oaktoberfest

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Above, The Lee sisters Kim ’93, Kelly ‘96 and Julie ’99 at Kelly’s commencement in 1996. Left, the Lee sisters in 2015 with their mom Dale.

Below, Kim with her husband-to-be Dustin Moore ’94 at her commence-ment in 1993, and Kelly ‘96 and Doug ’91 Sargent with daughters Samantha and Kiana. Julie Lee with husband-to-be Nathan Lenox ‘98 in 1999.

Meet the Lees–Alumni Times Six

M E N L O C O L L E G E 3 5

K im, Julie, and Kelly Lee attended Menlo College in the 80s and 90s, and they all—yes all—married

Menlo College alumni! Here’s a wonder-ful spotlight on their family and the fun times they enjoyed at Menlo.

Dale Lee, the mother of Kim, Julie, and Kelly, worked as the Registrar at South San Francisco High School. She explained what it was like to have four children heading towards college beginning in 1990.

“Needless to say, finances were always a worry! The girls were very involved with their high school volleyball teams, and I attended most of their games during their high school years. Their coach, Ann Stluka, was instrumental in introduc-ing us to the Menlo College Women’s Volleyball Team. The rest is history. All the girls attended and played volleyball for Menlo. With the help of scholarships offered by Menlo, college tuition was made possible. I encouraged many other students at the high school to apply to Menlo College as well.”

Kim Moore ‘93 Kim Moore is the oldest of the three “Lee sisters.” She was a Mass Commu-nication major, and she played on the volleyball, tennis, and softball teams. She was inducted into the Menlo Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Kim has many fond memories of her time at Menlo, not the least of which is the meeting of her future husband, Dustin Moore ’94.

Dustin Moore was also a volleyball player at Menlo. Dustin and Kim married in 1999, at nearby Holbrook-Palmer Park, and they have three kids, Teagan, Tanner, and Brayden. The family tradition of volleyball and a Menlo-connection con-tinues: their daughter plays club volley-ball in the area, and is being coached by Tori Arild ‘16, a current member of Menlo College’s volleyball team!

Kim is in the corporate training profession as a Sales Training Manager at Quotient Technology. Dustin is the Club Director at City Beach Volleyball Club,

and also the Head Volleyball Coach at Presentation High School in San Jose.

Kim recalls, “I have so many great memories from Menlo! Playing sports gave me lifelong friendships with many of my teammates. I especially had a great experience playing on the volleyball team. We all had a close connection with each other. When I was a freshman, we won the Western Regional and made it into the NCAA Final Four tournament. We went to St. Louis, Missouri for the tournament, and rode through the St. Louis Arch.

“My softball experience was fun but it was the complete opposite of my vol-leyball successes. I’m pretty sure we lost every game! Most of the softball team was made up of volleyball players who had never played before,” she said. She remembers dances, SpringFest, a week of fun activities in the spring time (“we had a hypnotist one year!”), parties, intramural softball, late nights working on the school newspaper, and playing cards with friends.

Heather (Foss) Hill, Kelly and Kim Lee and Melissa (Rohrer) Blankenship. Kelly recalls, “Coach Jon Roberts used to have us run the Stanford Stadium stairs for endurance. We dreaded the stairs yet we knew it did make us stronger. We took this photo after conquering the stairs.”

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Kelly Sargent ‘96Kim and her sister Kelly were at Menlo for 2 years together, and both played on the same volleyball and softball teams. When their sister Julie was at Menlo, Kim wanted to be a part of her experience too, so she helped coach the volleyball team for a couple of seasons. Kelly also graduated with a degree in Mass Com-munication. Her husband Doug Sargent graduated from Menlo in 1991.

Kelly works at a small private school called Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, as the Director of Communica-tions. She has been at the Priory for 11 years. Doug also works at Woodside Priory as the Middle School Athletic Director and teacher. Over the years, Doug has hired several Menlo College students as coaches.

Their daughters Samantha and Kiana also attend the Priory and play club volleyball. Their uncle Dustin coaches both of them.

Kelly recalls, “When Kim started attend-ing Menlo, she invited me to visit her one weekend. After my visit, I was completely hooked on Menlo and could not wait to attend there myself. When my kids ask me when I had the best time of my life, I always say it was while I was at Menlo. I played volleyball and softball, and the friendships that I developed became

lifelong. Our volleyball team was like a family. We lived in a suite in Michaels Hall where our doors rarely closed. We kept the doors open and we would simply drift from one room to another. I fondly remember one day when one of the girls had received a 10 pound chocolate bar as a gift. We covered the bar with a jar of peanut butter, and seven of us ate the en-tire homemade peanut butter cup while watching soap operas.

“My sister Julie and I lived next door to each other in El Camino. Julie and I look very similar and our poor teachers had a hard time telling us apart. Kim was lucky being the first ‘Lee Girl’ (our nickname at Menlo; I actually had a personalized li-cense plate that said LEEGRL). I was called by our professors, ‘Kim- I mean Kelly’ and when Julie came four years later, she was called, ‘Kim- I mean Kelly- I mean JULIE!’

“The restroom in El Camino had a mirror near the doorway. Julie walked into the restroom, said, ‘Oh hey Kel,’ and then came to realize that it was her own reflection in the mirror. We laughed about that for a long time!

“There were a lot of students from Hawaii, and there were many nights that everyone would gather outside and play music and sing underneath the old oak tree. Where else in the world would you experience something like that?”

Julie Lenox ‘99Continuing the Lee family tradition, Julie graduated from Menlo in 1999. She mar-ried Nathan Lenox ’98. She is an Advertising Account Manager for a privately held grocery company (H-E-B) in San Antonio, TX, and Nathan owns Red Dot Tool, a business that buys and sells tools used in the aerospace industry.

“I remember how Menlo felt like an extension of my family - the beautiful campus, small classes and how friendly everyone was. It definitely helped me to have my sisters close. And they were really close: Kelly and I actually shared a dorm room in El Camino hall the first semester. Kim lived across the street and helped coach the volleyball team.

“I have great memories of film class with Al Jacobs, photography with Otto Gruele, TV/media studies with Marla Lowenthal, sport and radio with Doug Carroll. I loved how we were able to have hands-on training. Technology has changed a lot,

I have great memories of film class with Al Jacobs, photography with Otto Gruele, TV/media studies with Marla Lowenthal, sport and radio with Doug Carroll.

but it was definitely a unique experience to splice your own audio reel and de-velop your own film. My volleyball family was awesome as well. We traveled to tournaments and had a blast. I also was part of the Hawaii Club and participated in the annual luau a few times. It was a wonderful experience to bring a little aloha to campus, and something I look back on fondly.”

Julie added “Nathan and I recently visited the Bay Area with our kids Grant and Piper, and had a nice time reminiscing about our Menlo days. I gained an educa-tion, have many great memories, and have cherished the lifelong friendships made during my four years at Menlo.”

Kim (#2) and her Menlo volleyball teammates from a yearbook photo in 1991.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 3 7

Ralph Cowden, SBA ’56

Ralph Allen Cowden, II, was born in 1934 in Redding, California. He moved to his grandfather’s apricot orchard farm in Los Altos in 1939. His first job as a teenager was at Gordon’s Fine Foods Grocery in downtown Los Altos. He re-ceived a Bachelor of Sciences degree from Menlo College in Business Administration.

Ralph joined Lockheed in 1958 and was with the com-pany for 35 years. He worked with Spy in the Sky and Stealth programs, the Nuclear Particle Beam Program, and the Gravity Probe-B Program.

Ralph and his wife, Darlene, raised their children in Los Altos Hills, along with horses, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, rabbits, parakeets, and

guinea pigs. They were mar-ried for 61 years, enjoyed boating, skiing, tennis, fishing, golfing, and travel. Ralph was a member of Mountain View Kiwanis Club, SPARC, and Palo Alto Elks Club.

He passed quietly in his sleep at home in August 2015. He is survived by his wife Darlene, three children, six grandchil-dren, and two great-grand-children.

Norman F. Fifer, L&S ‘51

Norman F. Fifer, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully in 2015. Norm met Arlayne Overfelt on a blind date while attending Stanford University and they were married in 1952. Col-lege was interrupted in 1953 when Norm was drafted by the Army and sent to Japan

for two years. Upon return-ing from service, he com-pleted a degree in chemical engineering at Stanford. Norm accepted an engineer-ing position with General Electric at the Hanford nuclear reservation in southeastern Washington State. Nearly 20 years later he returned to CA where he worked at Vallecitos Test Reactor. Eventually, the family relocated to Pleasan-ton, California where Norm worked in “peaceful” nuclear applications including fuel development and radio-phar-maceutical manufacture, and heat treatment in reactors.

He and Arlayne resided there for 17 years before retiring in 1988. Following retirement, they moved to Penn Valley in the Gold Country, and became active in their church, Sierra Presbyterian in Nevada City and enjoyed camping, crafts, woodworking, volun-teer work, and their family.

As a President’s Club member, Norman was a loyal supporter of the greatest needs of Menlo College.

He is survived by his wife of 62+ years, Arlayne, four children, 12 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

Peter Valenti SBA ‘59 Pete Valenti, former chair-man of SRI International, passed away in October 2015. President Richard Moran said, “I’ve spent many decades in the corporate world – Pete’s uplifting spirit and strong leadership in guiding former SRI employees to remain positively engaged with the company is a rare and price-less quality we revere here at Menlo. There are so many admirable aspects to his life: an avid 49ers fan, former member of the California National Guard, devoted pa-rishioner of St. Denis Church, all surrounded by family. I had an opportunity to find a 1957 yearbook featuring Pete as a sophomore with the Menlo College Band holding onto his clarinet in the front row while sporting a big smile (see photo below.)

Menlo will always be grateful for Pete’s unfailing support for student scholarships and the general needs of the College. His broad community view and dedication was to leaving an enduring legacy to the treasured parts of his life.“

Below, 1957 Menlo College Band with Peter Valenti, front third from left.

In Memoriam

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Morin Montagu Scott Jr. ‘74 died at home in Little Rock on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Monty is survived by his wife of 32 years, Elizabeth (Becky) Butler Scott and family. Monty graduated from Suffield Academy, Suffield, CT and attended the Univer-sity of Texas at Austin, and Menlo College (SBA).

He was a generous Annual Fund donor, donating to Menlo College consistently throughout his life.

After stints at Goldman Sachs and in the oil and gas indus-try, he joined his family’s hotel business. Monty served as President of Southwest Hotels, Inc. They owned and operated The Arlington Hotel & Spa in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the Hot Springs Country Club. The company oversaw banking, real estate and investments principally in Arkansas and Texas.

Monty was a member of the board of directors of Simmons First National Bank. He was a member of the executive board of the Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was a former director of the Arkansas Arts Center and member of the Hot Springs Rotary Club. He was a former director of Texas Commerce Bank of Houston.

As an investor and hotel operator, Monty was deeply committed to the business and resort de-velopment of Hot Springs National Park. His leader-ship resulted in the new club house complex and redesign of the Hot Springs Country Club golf courses by PGA legend, Ben Crenshaw, a fellow Austinite and long-time friend.

David Edward Rosenkrantz ‘50

1930 - 2016

David Rosenkrantz grew up in Fresno, California until his family moved to the Bay Area in 1944.

He attended Menlo College from 1948 until spring of 1950, when he transferred to Stan-ford, where he pledged the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He was the kicker for the Menlo College football team.

At Stanford he received his A.B. in 1952 and his MBA in 1954. David married Anna Gayle Nin at Stanford in 1951. He spent 42 years in execu-tive management positions at Macy's, retiring in 1996.

David was a fundraiser for Stanford and various charities, and was an active member at St. John of God Church. He and his wife Gayle spent many years working for environ-mental, peace, and weapons reduction causes.

Daniel Craig McCallum ‘62

Dan passed away on March 17, 2016. He was born in Sacramento and was a 4th generation native Califor-nian. He graduated from El Camino High School and then attended Menlo College through 1962.

He was a devoted member of the Arden Arcade Rotary, vol-unteered for Ducks Unlimited as the Chairman of the Area and DU Lamb BBQ.

He was an avid bird hunter & wetland conservationist. Dan was a commercial real estate broker and owner of McCallum Real Estate.

Dan is survived by his wife of 46 years Diane (Rice) McCallum, and their family.

Daniel Craig McCallum ‘62

David Edward Rosenkrantz ‘50

Duck in the President’s pool at Menlo College in 2012.

Morin Montagu Scott Jr. ‘74 1949-2016

M E N L O C O L L E G E 3 9

D r. Bahareh Amidi ‘88 is an American-Iranian poetry therapist who believes that words and voice can be instrumental in the healing process. Amidi recently presented Invitation to Expression, a poetry workshop for the Menlo College

community. “Visiting Menlo is like coming home for me,” Amidi confided.

Amidi explained that, as a Menlo student, she received many gifts, including lifelong mentor Dr. Diane Harvey, retired professor and Provost of the Professional Studies Program at Menlo College.

Amidi’s discussions with Harvey about the soul prompted her to earn her advanced degrees. “I wanted to study psychology to figure out who I am,” she recalled. Amidi has a master’s degree in Family, Marriage and Child Counseling Psychology from Col-lege of Notre Dame, and a PhD from Catholic University in Educational Psychology.

She described that poetry came to her five years ago at a concert where she penned a few words on a tablet. When she shared what she had written with her sister, she realized that she wanted to study poetry. Her love for her media of expression led her to attend The Institute for Poetic Medicine.

As a poetry therapist, she presents workshops to a variety of audiences at schools, organizations, and businesses. To each group she offers the same instruction: “We are here to receive each other’s words with love and respect. A blank piece of paper is an invitation to your heart and soul. Open your heart and let it pour on the paper. Write about this moment. Don’t block yourself.”

She encouraged the Menlo audience to spontaneously create their own poems to share with the group. Two poetic phrases “Beauty is in all moments” and “but only if you’re the right one,” and other lyrical expressions flowed, leaving the audience amazed. As one participant wrote, “Who would have thought?”

Dr. Bahareh Amidi Introduces Menlo to Poetic Expression Of Poets and Visionaries

By Marianne Neuwirth, Ph.D. Oral Communication Program Director

L uckily for us, Dr. Amidi also offered a poetry session designed primarily

for students and alumni visitors.

Thirty-one attendees participated in the second Open Mic venue of the year, organized by the Oral Communi-cation Program. Several went bravely to the front of the room, spoke into the mic, and opened up a mini-world for all those present.

Dr. Amidi shared poems written by others, and asked the audience to say aloud a line that moved them in some way. Then she invited participants to use that line to start a poem of their own. When each person shared their poem, poets got to hear their words come from another’s voice.

The chance to share authentically in a friendly, warm environment helped participants gain confidence, valida-tion, and the opportunity to be heard. This experience will hopefully translate into other parts of their lives, enabling them to speak clearly, connect authentically, and engage mindfully.

As a conduit to our finer selves, poetry can articulate what daily words may bypass. Poetry, and Dr. Amidi, graced our lives in a way that calls for more. We hope she comes back.

SAVE TIME THIS SUMMER TO READ THE COMMON BOOK!Required reading for incoming freshmen

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain, New York: Broadway Books, 2013

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I n April, six students represented Menlo College at the 2016 Collegiate International Career Development Conference in Washington, D.C. In their first year as a competitive chapter of

DECA, Menlo students Cole Simpson ‘17 and Dylan Severson ‘16 placed first internationally in the Entrepreneurship: Starting Your Own Business Event, following their business plan pitch to profes-sional judges. Menlo student Angela Tsung ‘19 placed as a finalist in the Fashion Merchandising and Marketing Event. The Menlo delegation, elated with their impressive accomplishments as a first-time group in an international competition, vied for their awards with top business students from colleges across the country and overseas.

Delta Epsilon Chi and Distributive Education Clubs of America, known as DECA, is an international association of students and teachers. The organization prepares leaders and entrepreneurs for careers and education in marketing, finance, hospitality, management, and other business areas.

The competitive aspect of DECA gives students the ability to apply what they learn in the classroom to the “real-world” of business. Students gain public speaking skills and confidence through their experience with DECA, while they also build a network of prospective business associates.

The co-founders of the Menlo Collegiate DECA chapter are Cole Simpson ’17 and Carolina Gonzalez ‘18. “DECA has allowed me to create long-lasting friendships with people from all over the country, including professionals who are currently in the field,” Carolina said. “DECA also believes in giving back to the community through opportunities and fundraisers for the MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association). Competing at the high school level helped me decide to continue my business education, majoring in marketing,” she added.

“I knew that the student body here could benefit from DECA, so I made it a part of the Oak Community,” explained Carolina. “I was encouraged to pursue it by my previous advisor and mentor, DECA Board Member Christina Charlton, but I was not entirely convinced that I would be successful. Then I met fellow student Cole Simpson, who had been a DECA Chapter President. Our team began with our advisor, Menlo Professor Kathi Lovelace, and officers Camilo Arias ‘18, and Angela Tsung ’19. I am incredibly proud of all that our chapter accomplished this year, from having a school-wide blanket drive for the Davis St. Community Center, to hosting our first mini-conference. I’m excited to now enter my fifth year with DECA, and to continue working with students.”

Menlo Collegiate DECA Wins Top Award at Collegiate International Career Development Conference

Menlo Collegiate DECA President Cole Simpson ‘17 prepares to present a business plan at the 2016 Collegiate International Career Development Conference.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 4 1

Facilities Guys, Thank You for All You Do!

Pat Murphy, Robert Talbott, Daniel Deaver, Abel Manuelos, Eliezer Aguilar, David Chavez PHOTO: ANDREY POLIAKOV

Folding chairs, tables, microphones, stages, and backdrops are everyday tools of the trade for the Office of

Facilities at Menlo College. At events such as Apollo night, Comedy Night, OAKto-berFest, Honors Convocation, or Com-mencement—you’ll notice the wizardry that is required of Facilities to bring seamless presentations to the Menlo Community.

The Black Student Union (BSU) noticed the endless production schedule and decided to honor the Facilities staff.

BSU rounded up the facilities team for the photograph above and presented a photographic plaque to Director of Facilities Robert Talbott and his crew. Thanks Facilities guys, for all that you do!

“Old Oak” was the slogan on a popular Menlo College alumni T-shirt that commemorated the 85th anniversary of the founding of Menlo College. Little did we know then that a few years later we would receive an award for Menlo’s trees, our symbol of strength and long-standing legacy. Menlo College was recently presented with the Town of Atherton 2016 Tree Award for the care and celebration we give to our grand oak trees, and our

nurturing of new oak trees that ensures the endurance of the association of Menlo College with the mighty oak. The college trees sit proudly in the center of the main campus Quad.

And grand they are. Some specimens of our trees, the Coast Live Oaks Valley Quercus Lobata, may live more than 250 years, with trunk diameters up to 13 feet.

The 2016 Tree Award was presented to Menlo College by the Atherton Tree Commit-tee and the Mayor of Atherton at a meeting of the Atherton Town Council in May. We will do our best to keep our trees growing and thriving so that they can continue to be an inspiration for Old Oaks everywhere, for generations to come.

The Town of Atherton 2016 Tree Award Goes to Menlo College

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Aloha Nā Ā̀ina April 16, 2016

25TH ANNUAL

Top, David Grijalva ‘16, Ty Lauderdale ‘17, Ian Rice ‘18, Emilio Mendoza ‘16 and Bottom right Nanea Bidine ‘18, Kiyani Punzal-Banquerigo ‘18, Annette Rodriquez ‘17, Kalea Gabrielle ‘18. LU`AU PHOTOS: AMELIA HARTLEY ‘17

Regina Hernandez

Ibrahima Mobley

Ashton Kent

Rachel Maisano

Isabel Cervantes

Professor DeJosia

Kevin Xie

Professor Medlen

Andy Camarillo Tyanna BraswellMariah Gale

John Buchman

Chris Gray

John Finley

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Slay Team Outsiders

LeeRoyAfrican Drums

Middle, Nanea Bidine ‘18, Ibrahima Mobley ‘19, Danielle McCarthy ‘17 performed at Apollo Night. PHOTOS: ANGELA TSUNG ‘19

Nanea Bidine

Danielle McCarthy

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Hawai’i Recruits Set to Impact Menlo College AthleticsBy Aaron Gillespie Sports Information Director

M enlo College Athletics has a strong history of Hawai’i natives excelling both on the playing

surface and within the campus commu-nity. A new crop of talented competitors will continue their legacy in 2016-17. Hall of Famers, All-Americans, and All-Confer-ence players who have played at Menlo before them verify that there is no short-age of island influence on the Oaks.

‘Iolani school in Honolulu completed a remarkable season in 2015-16, earning the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship and finishing runner up in the state. A trio of major contributors have committed to play volleyball at Menlo College. All-league outside hitter Sierra Buscher joins First Team All-State selection Moea Kekauoha and All-State Honorable Mention middle blocker Emily Sunada at Menlo next season. The three ‘Iolani school alums will join current Hawai’i native volleyball player Malia Luis-Mateo (Saint Francis School) for the upcoming season.

On the pitch, the Oaks will benefit from the services of a pair of incoming soccer players in Trey Taniguchi and Noa Kerr. Taniguchi had a highly-successful four- year career at King Kekaulike High School where he was a team captain, earned All-Conference honors and was invited to play in the senior invitational all-star game. Joining Taniguchi is Hawai’i Baptist Academy standout Noa Kerr. Kerr was decorated for his successes both on the prep and club scene where he helped the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club to a Men’s League Div. I League Championship. A midfielder, Kerr was a four-year varsity starter.

The wrestling program will be well-represented by Hawai’i recruits as well with Blaysen Terukina joining Coach Martinez and the men’s team and Brandy Ilac-Wong set to wrestle for Coach Bareng

and the women’s program. Terukina was a two-time Hawai’i State Wrestling Tournament champion, a four-time placer and was named both the team captain and Most Outstanding Wrestler for Kamehameha Schools Kapalama. On the women’s side, Ilac-Wong looks to im-mediately make an impact on a talented Oaks roster. At Honokaa High she was the 2016 BIIF champion at 107 pounds, a year in which she also placed third in the state in that weight class.

In the gym, the Menlo women’s basket-ball team will benefit from the talent of a pair of incoming Hawai’i recruits Celina Pagan and Alexis Delovio. Delovio enters as a freshman after four impres-sive seasons at Maryknoll School where she was a four-time All-State selection who helped her team to a pair of ILH Div. I championships and led them to the state semifinals as a senior. Pagan joins the Oaks as a junior transfer who most recently played for Mission College in

Santa Clara. She played her prep career at Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu where she was All-State and averaged 20 points per game as a senior. At Mission College, Pagan was a two-year starter who twice earned All-State honors, aver-aged 20 points per game and helped the team to its best record in program history last year (29-6).

A spring-sport athlete looking to help bolster the upstart Track & Field program at Menlo, Aubrie Usui is set to run the hurdles for Head Coach Dan Noel in 2016-17. Usui was a dual-sport standout in high school as both a basketball player and hurdler. On the track, she was Second-Team All-Conference for her efforts in the 100HH.

In 2015-16, Menlo College had 15 Hawai’i natives competing across its 15 intercol-legiate athletic programs.

Left to Right: Moea Kekauoha, Emily Sunada, and Sierra Buscher, who led ‘Iolani School to a state runner-up title, will join Menlo Volleyball in 2016-17.

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Oaks Support Opponents in Time of Need

O n the night of February 26th the Menlo College Softball team was riding high after picking up a pair

of conference wins over Hope Interna-tional. The Oaks were set to take on the #3 Oregon Tech Owls, who they had defeated three times prior this season.

All of the anticipation of a thrilling clash between these two softball programs suddenly changed on that fateful night. The Owls had just completed a double-header in Redding and were traveling down to Atherton when they decided to stop at San Francisco’s Pier 39 for din-ner, and some sightseeing. That’s when things went south in a hurry. While the Owls were at dinner, their team vans were broken into and all of their belongings were stolen. That included critical items such as team gear, uniforms, personal laptops, and tablets.

It became clear that softball would not be played on Saturday and the doublehead-er was cancelled. It also became clear that the student-athletes on the softball team at Menlo truly understand generos-ity, kindness, and sportsmanship.

“My captains immediately came to me asking if they could do something for OIT,” said senior team captain Mary Hall. “I thought it was a great idea and sug-gested that a GoFundMe page would probably be the best way to rally some people to help them.”

So Hall logged on to her computer and set up a GoFundMe page with an initial goal of raising $2,000 as a sign of good-will to try and help offset some of the cost from the stolen items. Little did Hall know that in just one month’s time, 66 people would donate to the cause nearly doubling the goal by raising $3,700.

“When we reached our goal so fast, I felt really excited that we were truly making a difference,” said Hall. “Seeing so many people come together to support a team who experienced this kind of loss was my favorite part of this.”

Coach Lisle noted how incredibly proud he was of his team captain for stepping up and showing traits of empathy and thoughtfulness for a team in need. That team captain Mary Hall was one of the main driving forces behind this was less surprising, according to Lisle.

“Mary has put others first this entire season. She’s incredibly emotionally intel-ligent when it comes to others and how

she can help them become better on and off the field.”

Oregon Tech proved very thankful for the response from the Oaks with Coach Stewart expressing his gratefulness to Hall directly. The Oaks were presented with an off the field test that transcended the game of softball – a test of gratitude, humility and sportsmanship that they passed with flying colors.

“I think that unfortunate events like this can bring people together and in this case, many different worlds of softball were united to support a fellow team. In my opinion, that was the best part of the whole experience,” said Hall.

Senior team captain Mary Hall went to bat at the Oregon Tech game.

By Aaron Gillespie Sports Information Director

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Athletics Hall of Fame Brimming with History

T his history of the Menlo College Athletics department is remark-ably rich and diverse. Nowhere

is that better illustrated than in the Department’s 164-member Hall of Fame. College greats, Olympic medal winners, prosperous coaches, savvy professionals, television personalities and more are not only present, but abundant amongst the ranks of Menlo’s finest. Sixteen sports dating back to the class of 1930 are represented including a number of staff members and administrators, legendary coaches and department supporters.

Menlo College has a history of repre-sentation at the Olympic level both by current Hall of Fame members and those who are sure to have their names enshrined in Menlo glory in years to come. Currently, a pair of Olympic medal winners are enshrined in the Hall of Fame including William Miller ’32 who earned gold as a Pole Vaulter at the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles and Rink Babka ’55 who claimed silver in discuss at the 1960 games in Rome.

In an Olympic-style sport Menlo’s Neal Takamoto (’89) became the first and only NCAA champion and two-time All-Amer-ican for the school in Judo. Takamoto claimed top-honors in the heavyweight division in both 1988 and 1989.

Traditional sport coaches and athletes in the Hall of Fame also saw a plethora of accolades and successes. On the links, Al Geiberger ’57 forever inked his name in PGA Tour lore at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977 where he shot 13 under par, 59 in the final round. The sub-60 round was the first of its kind in a sanctioned PGA tour event.

Football great Nate Jackson (’01) spent three storied years catching passes for the Oaks and went on to play a success-ful six-year career for the Denver Broncos and is now a celebrated author. His quar-

terback during that time, Zamir Amin ’01 held the NCAA record for passing yards in a game with 731 which stood until 2014.

Mike Bettega, a two-way football and baseball star, became Menlo’s first player selected in the MLB draft when he went in 36th round to the New York Mets in 1968. A simple look up and down the list of Hall of Famers includes many All-Amer-icans, conference champions, campus leaders, future professional athletes and coaches alike... too numerous to mention. Suffice to say, the list is filled with a great deal of tremendous accomplishments.

There’s no shortage of legendary coach-ing figures in the Hall of Fame. Hoops icon Bud Presley roamed the sidelines from 1971-82 and was widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive minds in college basketball. In twelve seasons at Menlo, Presley led the team to a remark-able 266-88 record with a number of conference championships and a state title to his claim.

On the pitch, none have rivaled the im-pact of legendary coach and later Menlo College President Carlos López. From 1961-1988, López became one of the winning coaches in Oak history, earning

Brian Geiberger, Al Geiberger, Jr., Rink Babka ‘55 and Al Geiberger ‘57 at a Homecoming recep-tion in 2009.

Zamir Amin ‘01 and Nate Jackson ‘01 at Homecoming in 2009.

by Aaron Gillespie Sports Information Director

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Glen E. Dorst Award Winner: Andrew Nyberg (Men’s Soccer)

F. Philler Curtis Award Winner: Mary Hall (Softball)

Don W. Baer Award Winner: Dylan Severson (Men’s Basketball)

Menlo College Athletics Department Service Award: Brian Brownfield

at Menlo. He went on to found ADA Oil Company which was a forerunner to Adams Resources and Energy, Inc. (AE). An NFL pioneer, Adams was the founder, owner, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of the Tennessee Titans/Hous-ton Oilers franchise and was one of the original owners in the American Football League (AFL).

The Menlo College Athletics Hall of Fame inducts new members on a bi-annual basis. The most recent class, inducted in 2015, included the likes of Gabe Amey, Kepua Lee, Amanda Colon, John Rooke, Justin Trott, and Christa Hewett Ohia. The next class is set to be inducted in 2017.

If you know of someone you believe should be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Menlo Athletics encourages you to reach out to us! An online nomination form can be accessed at http://bit.ly/MenloHOF

The list of current Hall of Fame members can be found by visiting www.menloathlet-ics.com/hallOfFame.php

his 200th career victory in a game in 1986 and finishing with 215 triumphs.

In 23 seasons as head football coach, Ray Solari amassed a program-best 110 wins amongst many other accolades and helped the team to a conference cham-pionship at the junior college level. The title of most winning volleyball coach in Menlo history goes to Hall of Fame mem-ber Malcom Taylor who spent 10 years as head coach, tallying a 182-85 overall record and a conference title.

A student-athlete turned NBA head coach and current television personality, Jeff Van Gundy spent one year as a player for Coach Presley in 1981-82. Van Gundy would go on to become the head coach of the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets of the NBA from 1996-2001 and 2003-2007. He is currently a color com-mentator for ESPN.

Another former Menlo College athlete who went on to do tremendous things is none other than the late Bud Adams, Jr. (’42). Adams played football and rugby

Above, John Rooke ‘88, Hall of Fame Class of 2015 checked out the net in 2010.

Athletics 2016 Annual Banquet AwardsCollis Steere, Transfer Student: Camille Harris, Women’s Basketball Skyler Sexton, Men’s Basketball

Collis Steere, Four Year Student: Raquel DeJesus, Women’s Soccer Andrew Nyberg, Men’s Soccer

Iron Oak Award Winner: Nick Quejado (Baseball)

Sports Performance Award: Garrett Gemgnani (Baseball)

Bud Presley Coach of the Year Award: Jake McKinley (Baseball)

Freshman of the Year Award: Carolina Velez (Women’s Soccer)

Don Baike Female Athlete of the Year: Cady Chessin (Women’s Wrestling)

Don Baike Male Athlete of the Year: Troy Lakin (Men’s Wrestling)

Former Head Football Coach Ray Solari, center, in popular demand by alumni sports enthusiasts at the 2012 Menlo College 85th Anniversary tailgate.

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Women’s Wrestling Shines at 2016 U.S. Olympic Team TrialsBy Aaron Gillespie, Sports Information Director

M enlo College Women’s Wrestling completed its most successful season in program history in February, finishing seventh in the nation with five wrestlers

earning All-American status at the WCWA National Tournament. Headlining that performance in February was junior standout Cady Chessin (Los Gatos, Calif.) who finished third overall to become just the second wrestler in Women’s Wrestling history to achieve All-American status in each of her first three seasons. As a result of her top-three overall finish, Chessin qualified to compete at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City.

One of just three collegiate competitors in the 53kg weight class, Chessin had a great showing at the Olympic Trials, finish-ing 3-2 and sixth place overall against 16 of the nation’s best wrestlers in her weight class. After losing her first match to Sarah Hildebrandt of the New York Athletic Club, Chessin picked up a big 9-0 win over fellow collegiate competitor Rachel Archer of Oklahoma City. She then ran off wins over Deanna Betterman (3-0) and picked up a 6-1 decision victory over the third place finisher at the 2014 U.S. World Team Trials, Jessica Medina.

That win set the stage for a clash of Menlo Women’s Wrestling’s past and present in the consolation semifinals when Chessin drew Menlo alum and two-time national champion Katherine Fulp-Allen. Prior to Cady, Fulp-Allen was the only women’s wrestler in program history to achieve All-American status in each of her first three seasons. Fulp-Allen has had nothing short of a remarkable career since leaving Menlo’s campus, earning a spot on the Women’s National Team four different times and finishing third at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials.

She added one more National Team qualification to her resume with a 6-1 decision victory over Chessin to advance to the consolations finals where she downed Michaela Hutchinson 6-5 to take third.

“Katherine and her sister Sarah are two of the best wrestlers in program history and for Cady to wrestle Katherine late in the tournament was huge for her,” said Assistant Coach Marcus Randolph who coached Cady at the Olympic trials. “For Cady to go 3-2 in such a competitive tournament as a junior in college is a credit to her, her family, and the women’s wrestling program.”

Katherine Fulp-Allen ‘09 and Cady Chessin ‘17 PHOTO: JIM THRALL 2016

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2016 CommencementThe bagpipes of the Prince Charles Pipe Band and a sensa-

tional rendition of the National Anthem sung by Monica Juan kicked off the 87th Menlo College Commencement, or as

President Richard A. Moran termed it, “history being made.” The 2016 class was the largest class in the history of Menlo College. It was also the wettest class. One-hundred-ninety graduates and their families endured a steady rainfall which lasted for much of the ceremony, prompting President Moran to declare the 2016 class his “favorite” for the cheerful endurance they demonstrated, getting thoroughly soaked in the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony.

President Moran applauded the diversity of the class of 2016, and praised the more than 75 percent of the class who have jobs or grad school organized after they graduate. He noted their happy and optimistic behavior which didn’t sway in the bad weather. He paid tribute to the late professor of management Ron Kovas with a personal story about a note from Kovas that said “don’t give up” with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt.

President Moran concluded as master of ceremonies, urging students to sort through “what is good and what is best,” and to “do the absolute best that you can.”

After speeches by Board Chair T. Geir Ramleth, speaking on behalf of all the Trustees of the College, alumna Frances Mann-Craik on behalf of the Alumni Council, Provost Terri Givens, and Student Government President Ashley Schumann, the Provost presented four faculty awards, to Professors Kathi Lovelace, Susan Low, Marianne Marar Yacobian, and Leslie Sekerka.

Harold Irving Grousbeck, Consulting Professor at Stanford Business School, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, in recognition of his outstanding support in education.

NoViolet Bulawayo, author of We Need New Names, gave the first of two keynote speeches. She told the story of her own decision to become a writer instead of a lawyer, and her difficulty in explain-ing it to her father. She said, “I tell my students that their job is to figure it out. Whether it is grad school or volunteering, be vigilant. If you don’t make a decision about your life, someone will decide for you. It is important that we have the right to be what we want to be. Making your own decision means being able to honor your-self. It means being curious, and having the courage to take risks. This gift called life is yours to live. Live fiercely, courageously, like it’s your only life. Because it is.”

Bulawayo also commented on the upcoming presidential election, “This election will shape your existence. Define the country you want to see. Be a participant. Be alive.”

The second keynote speech was by L. Gregory Ballard, the senior vice president of Social, Mobile and Emerging Platforms at Warner Brothers. He leads and oversees the business and strategy of the studio’s mobile games business worldwide. He recalled his moth-er’s humorous advice on his commencement day, “Always smell the roses and never buy cheap peanut butter or toilet paper.” Ballard said that he “feared boredom more than poverty,” so he worked where he thought he could make a difference. He urged students to “think in terms of engagement,” and “be a player in the world around you.” Referencing the deluge of rain, he noted that “it is all about what you do with an idea after you step out of the shower.”

Heeding his advice, the Class of 2016 stepped from the shower to the stage, to exchange a wet handshake with the President and receive their diplomas, followed by a traditional toss of their caps. A glorious spray of confetti hit the sky as the sun appeared, concluding commencement for the Menlo College graduating class of 2016.

PHOTO: ANDREY POLIAKOV

M E N L O C O L L E G E 4 9

L. Gregory BallardThe senior vice president of Social, Mo-bile and Emerging Platforms at Warner Brothers, L. Gregory Ballard leads and oversees the business and strategy of the studio’s mobile games business worldwide.

During his career in the gaming, enter-tainment. and multimedia industries, Greg Ballard has served as President and CEO at Glu Mobile, a public company that remains one of the leaders in the mobile games business; CEO at SONICblue, makers of ReplayTV and Rio digital music players; CEO at MyFamily.com, later renamed Ancestry.com; and CEO at 3Dfx where he took the company public and grew it from $4 million to an annualized rate of more than $400 million.

NoViolet BulawayoNoViolet Bulawayo won the 2014 PEN-Hemingway Award, the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing, and the inaugural Etisalat Prize for Lit-erature in 2014. We Need New Names was a finalist for numerous other awards, including the Man Booker Prize. Bulawayo earned her MFA at Cornell University where she was a recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. She was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, where she now teaches as a Jones Lecturer in Fiction. Bulawayo grew up in Zimbabwe.

Harold Irving GrousbeckHarold Irving Grousbeck is a Consulting Professor at Stanford Business School. He was formerly Research Associate and Instructor, Harvard University, Graduate School of Business Administration, and co-founder, Continental Cablevision, Inc.

He co-authored New Business Ventures and the Entrepreneur published by Irwin. He received the Stanford Business School Distinguished Teaching Award, 1987.

His directorships include Asurion, Inc., ResponseLink, and Boston Celtics. He was a former Trustee at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Former Trustee Chairman at Menlo School and College; Former President and Chairman, Board of Trustees at Newton-Wellesley Hospital; Former Chairman, Board of Sponsors at New England Eye Bank; Former Vice Chairman at Massachusetts Board of Higher Education; Former Overseer at Childrens’ Hospital Medical Center, Boston. He is the principal owner of the Boston Celtics.

He received his MBA from Harvard University, 1960 and a Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.), Amherst College, 2000.

Members of the Prince Charles Pipe Band, keynote speakers L. Gregory Ballard and NoViolet Bulawayo, and recipient of the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Harold Irving Grousbeck. Below, rain dodgers and graduates watch the end of the confetti drop.

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Devin Gaines Receives 2016 Board of Trustees Award

T here are only two things you can’t do: that’s walk on water and fly. Everything else is possible.

Devin Gaines’ grandfather used to repeat that phrase every day after Devin moved from Pittsburgh to live with him and attend high school in southern Cali-fornia. Devin left his neighborhood of Beltzhoover in Pittsburgh to escape the violence of an area entangled in street gang rivalry.

At the annual Menlo College Honors Convocation ceremony, Devin was awarded the 2016 Board of Trustees Award. This is the highest honor that a student can receive from the College. The award is earned by the demonstration of outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service.

His former professor and fellow Pitts-burgher Jack Klingler wrote, “I enjoyed watching Devin become a leader and role model on campus and in the classroom. Devin has a calming, yet confident presence about himself that makes you want to pay attention to what he says. He embodies all of the characteristics that Menlo looks for in recipients of the Board of Trustees Award. I am very proud of him.”

During his four years at Menlo College, Devin majored in accounting and be-came a resident assistant. He won the Resident Assistant of the Year award in 2015, and made the Dean’s list almost every semester.

Devin also masterminded the recent appearance of stand-up comedian Billy Sorrells at the comedy night organized by the Black Student Union. “Bringing every-one together for comedy and hearing the laughter was one of my most memorable moments at Menlo,” he recalled.

His summer internship with Pricewater-houseCoopers, one of the Big Four ac-counting firms, led to a full-time position that Devin will start after he completes his preparation for a CPA license.

Devin said, “If there is one thing I’ve learned at Menlo, it’s that there is a lot I don’t know. I realized that there is a part of my own past as an African-American that I have never learned, and I long to know more. Through my networking connections in Silicon Valley, I connected with a professor at the University of San Francisco where I audited Afro-American history classes. This unique experience has given me an opportunity to meet leaders of the Afro-American commu-

nity, such as American political activist, academic scholar, and author Dr. Angela Davis and the legendary black revolution-ary Watani Stiner.”

Devin added, “Our generation is entre-preneurial, but they’re also social. My long-range hope for the future is to work as a social entrepreneur to improve areas such as the neighborhood I had to leave in my youth.”

In addition to receiving his CPA license and working at PwC, Devin hopes to earn his M.B.A., go into the tech industry, start his own business, and become a social entrepreneur. Perhaps walking on water and flying aren’t that far off!

Trustee Mike Gullard presented the Board of Trustees Award to Devin Gaines.

THE BOARD of TRUSTEES AWARD is the highest honor that a student

can receive at Menlo College. Through scholarship, leadership,

and service, the graduating senior who receives this award truly

embodies the mission of the College.

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Andres Camarillo ’16 Receives the 2016 Golden Oak Service Award

I t is no wonder that Andres Camarillo ’16 is the 2016 Golden Oak Service Award recipient. As Director of Programming for the Menlo College Student Government, he personifies

volunteerism because he is involved in most of the student clubs and activities on campus.

He is the Captain of the Ambassador Program for the Admissions Office, and President of the Gay Straight Alliance.

“Andres has been an invaluable member of the Student Ambassador team and Office of Enrollment Management family,” said Tess Rewick, Assistant Director of Admissions/Campus Experience. He genuinely embodies the Menlo College spirit and experience. He has welcomed countless students and their families to Menlo, and, as Ambassador Co-Captain, has fostered a team that is truly representative of the diversity and achievements of the student body.”

His interest in programming was kindled as a freshman, when Jake Fohn ‘15 and Luamata Tagaloa ‘15 took him under their wings to perform with them in Oakapella, an a cappella perfor-mance group at Apollo Night. Their performance was awarded the best student performance by a panel of judges. This year, Andres competed solo at Apollo Night and won the prize again.

Andres is leaving as his legacy two new programs of which he is particularly proud. “The Ambassador program is now a different program,” he said. “With our changes, we’re directly involved with the students one-on-one beyond their time on campus. I’ve also very proud of the Diversity Board. I wish I could be here to watch it grow. One of the fun activities we recently held was ‘I am_but I am _ .’ Students had to think about themselves before they filled in the blanks. Over the same period, we had a Latino lunch, the Jewish Passover, and an LGBTQ field trip. It is a collective of programming experiences.”

Al Jacobs Award Goes to Cheyenne Grant

Alannah Rodriguez Gets Don Jordan Award

Left, The Al Jacobs Award was presented to Cheyenne Grant by Jodie Austin, Professor of English. She noted that Cheyenne is a “student of tremendous substance.”

Right, The Don Jordan Award was presented to Alannah Rodriguez by Lowell Pratt, Lecturer, who cited that Alannah was ”passionate and eager to learn.”

Andres Camarillo, recipient of the Golden Oak Service Award, with Professor Marianne Marar Yacobian.

Andres has been able to do all of this and graduate with 150 credits, a requirement for students interested in pursuing a career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He will start a job as an auditor at KPMG after he completes the Becker program this summer to earn his CPA license.

PHOTOS: ANDREY POLIAKOV

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Rielle Dopke Receives the Menlo Spirit Award

R ielle Dopke, recipient of the Menlo Spirit Award, is especially thankful for her two accounting professors

–Janis Zaima, Professor of Accounting and Finance, and Donna Little, Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance. “They are huge supporters who both took a key interest in me.”

Rielle, an accounting student from Pasadena won the Menlo College Spirit Award for her generous volunteerism.

“When I decided to major in accounting (after talks with her ac-counting professors,) lots of opportunities suddenly opened up where I wanted to be professionally,” she said. Rielle represent-ed Menlo College at CPA Day at the Capital last year. In addition to being in the Accounting Club, she was also a member of the soccer team for many years.

She will be taking Becker CPA license courses in summer, and will start a full-time position at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in San Jose. Looking towards the future, Reille has her eye on extended travel and an outreach to help people.

Frances Turner, Assistant Professor of Marketing, presented the award to Rielle noting her perseverence and exceptional loyalty, and said, “I continue to marvel at her progress.”

W hen you talk to Joshua Szin, recipient of the Judge Russell Award, it’s apparent that he personifies the award’s intent – for leadership and service to the

Business Management Program.

“It was like a bounty hunt,” he smiled, as he recalled how he decided on his focus of study. “For about a year, Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance Donna Little coaxed me to consider majoring in accounting. I’m thankful for her encour-agement because accounting is a solid base for anything.”

Joshua started Menlo College as a football quarterback. He switched to the position of receiver in his junior year. Nick-named “old reliable” by his football coach, he was a player who strategized about football as though it were a game of chess. “After football ended at Menlo, I could have transferred to a football program at another college, but Menlo offered a lot that I didn’t want to leave. That included a double major including sports management and accounting.”

Joshua’s dream is to become an athletic director. “I want to work with high school or college student-athletes who have the same passion that I have for football.” When presenting the Judge Russell Award to Joshua, Janis Zaima, Professor of Accounting and Finance, noted “his willingness to help others.”

After graduating, he has been offered an accounting job at Deloitte in Southern California. His plans for the future include taking the Becker CPA license online course, and coaching foot-ball quarterbacks at his high school, St. Genevieve in Panorama City, California.

Joshua Szin Receives the Judge Russell Award

Janis Zaima, Professor of Accounting and Finance, presents the Judge Russell Award to Joshua Szin. PHOTOS: ANDREY POLIAKOV

O nce accepted into a pre-medical graduate program, she plans on

pursuing medicine. She hopes to combine her love for sports and her passion for psychology in a career of sports psychology. She is the recipient of the Menlo Psychology Award.

“One of my favorite moments at Menlo would have to be my move in day,” she recalled. “As a transfer student, moving into a dorm was my first instance of having a traditional college experience. I remember the greet-ing by the Student Affairs staff and athletes. About ten mem-bers of the men’s soccer team unloaded my car full of luggage and put it in my room for me. I felt cared for and safe. I guess you could say it’s a Menlo thing.”

“I enjoyed a special topics course taught by Lowell Pratt,” said Emebet. “I immediately knew I was going to be challenged. His course was difficult but it combined my love for photography with interesting literature. He had my undivided attention, and I knew I was meant to be on this campus.”

Psychology Award Goes to Emebet Aklilu

Mark Hager, Professor of Psychology, and Emebet Aklilu.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 5 3

Student-Editor Taylor Morrow ’16–a Journalistic Perspective Above the Fold

T aylor Morrow ’16, a Menlo College Marketing Communica-tion major from Ripon, California, attributes her interest in writing to the influence of her mom, a former high school

English teacher. She credits Mary Robins, former director of career services at Menlo College, who coached her on writing for business.

“Taylor took my class, Career Management in the Workplace, which involved assessments, papers, and lots of reflection,” said Robins. “It was clear from the start that she was a very talented writer, and through the assessments and reflections, writing was something she loved doing. I helped her see and believe that many companies need good writers. It’s fantastic to see that she pursued it. She now has a great portfolio of writing that she can share with future employers!”

After taking Robins’ career services class, Taylor met Elizabeth Lawton Kuriakose, a tutor in Menlo’s Writing Center. Kuriakose pointed to her own college newspaper experience as something that opened doors to career opportunities.

Menlo College first launched a student newspaper a year after its founding in 1927. Influenced by her mom, Robins, and Kuria-kose, Taylor decided to revive the Menlo student online news-paper. In short order, she started a Journalism Club, organized the structure of the newspaper, found writers, and named the publication Menlo Oak Press.

Her newspaper production team included sports editor Brian Brownfield, entertainment editor Samantha Newman, student life editor Maya Mogensen, and current events editor Seren Mohn. Taylor attributes her team building skills to her four-year soccer career at Menlo College.

The bi-weekly publication of Menlo Oak Press has an elaborate production schedule of speculative articles edited at the Writing Center, article assignments to editors, and additional proofs before Journalism Club advisor Erik Bakke posts them to the publication site.

For her first career move following her upcoming graduation, Taylor, a Menlo College Wall Street Journal Award recipient, is keeping her eye out for a writing-based job in an integrated communications firm where she can work on a wide range of projects. First, though, she has one more Menlo College dead-line: finding a successor to assume the helm of the newspaper. Taylor is looking for an editor-in-chief who is “above the fold,” an old news jargon that describes not only prominent article visibility, but also journalistic excellence.

Congratulations to Recipients of the Richard F. O’Brien AwardsGiven annually to two students from each class who best exemplify the true spirit of the Menlo campus through all-around excellence. Recipients are recognized as classroom leaders and active contributors to the campus learning community.

Seniors - Jiayi Gao and Brian BrownfieldJuniors - Hunter Dupee and Anthony MarinSophomores - Angela Tsung and Bradley SawinFreshmen - Zacchaeus Beatty and Nataly Vuong

Taylor Morrow, student editor and Menlo College Wall Street Journal Award recipient.

PHOTOS: ANDREY POLIAKOV

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PSP Valedictorian Mathew Safford ‘16 Discusses MIS

M athew Safford completed his B.S. degree at Menlo College in Business Management, with a concentra-tion in Management Information Systems. He is the

valedictorian of Menlo’s adult education class, known as the Professional Studies Program (PSP). The Menlo College PSP is an evening program that provides for one of the most accelerated options to obtain a college degree in the Bay Area. It’s designed for working adults returning to school to complete a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

Safford is currently working full-time in the IT department at Intuit, in Mountain View. He previously worked at Brocade Communications, in San Jose.

Safford finds the field of information security to be particularly interesting and evolving. “I believe the importance of informa-tion security will continue to grow due to the increasingly inter-connected world, the proliferation of mobile devices, and the increasing adoption of the IOT (internet of things),” said Safford.

“The thing that has impressed me most about Menlo has been the personal touch of the faculty and staff. They routinely go the extra mile to make you feel like your questions, concerns, and issues are truly important to them,” said Safford. “I have had nothing but positive experiences with the faculty and staff during my time here.”

His advice for Menlo students is to “hang in there and never give up on your goals and dreams. Although it may not seem like it at times, hard work and dedication really do pay off in the end.” He also advises, “Don’t hesitate to reach out and utilize

the tools available to you, such as Menlo’s Writing Center and the Academic Success Center.”

He explained that trying to balance work, school, and family obligations is no easy task. The condensed PSP classes take focus and dedication in order to be successful. He said, “I feel in-credibly fortunate that I was able to complete my schooling in a timely manner, without sacrificing the quality of the education. I found it incredibly valuable to get the mixture of perspectives from both the older, more established PSP students, and the traditional day students as well.

“For me, the professors that make the most impact on me are the ones who are passionate and excited by the material they are teaching. The professor that sticks out the most in my mind in this regard is Dr. James Woolever. I had him for two different classes, and both times you could really tell that not only did he deeply care about the material he was teaching, but he also was genuinely interested in the opinions and perspectives of his students with regard to the material being taught.”

Safford continued, “An especially memorable moment for me was finding out that I had been accepted to both the Beta Gamma Sigma and Alpha Chi honor societies. I was never the greatest student when I was growing up, so I feel extremely fortunate to be afforded another opportunity to prove what I’m capable of academically.”

Prior to Menlo College, Safford graduated with an A.S. in Com-puter Network Technology from Mission College in Santa Clara. He also has numerous professional certifications in the IT field.

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James Woolever, Dean, Professional Studies Program, and Mathew Safford ‘16, PSP Valedictorian.

M E N L O C O L L E G E 5 5

A n accounting major, Corona Beck is the Menlo College 2016 valedicto-rian. Her internship last summer at

the Big Four accounting firm Pricewater-houseCoopers landed her a full-time job offer following graduation.

Presently, she works for two local account-ing firms – Evidentia Consulting, a forensic accounting firm, and The Bean Counter CPA, where she does taxes for individuals, small corporations, and partnerships.

Beck said, “My plans for the future aren’t set, but I would like to start a business. I am also planning on getting a masters or a doctorate. I am currently studying for the GMAT and the CPA exam.”

She has been very impressed with the support and guidance of her professors

throughout the last four years. “Devel-oping a close relationship with faculty was instrumental in finding jobs and internships,” Beck said. “Good relation-ships and active networking cannot be over-emphasized.”

Beck praised her professors. “Professor Little was so supportive, and one of the reasons I attended Menlo in the first place. She helped me in so many ways. The accounting faculty is excellent! I also enjoyed interacting with students and staff in the Writing Center. I had many interesting debates with professors and students there and had many great dis-cussions with Erik Bakke about literature and education.”

Valedictorian Corona Beck ’16 Plans Graduate Studies

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Above, Pietro Cristofari, Massimilano Genta, and Filippo Clemente. PHOTO: DOUG PECK PHOTOGRAPHY. Below, seniors were instructed to turn their tas-sels to the other side of their caps at 2016 Commencement. PHOTO: ANDREY POLIAKOV. PHOTO ON BACK COVER: NOAH SCHNEIDER.

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