NEWS OF ALUMNI & FRIENDS Irene (Smith) Baker (’72) bought her own insurance agency and, after 20 years, sold it and retired. She and her husband have a 2-year-old grandson. • Mark Brosnan (’97) earned a welding certificate and associate of general studies and is now a naval science instructor in the career and technical education program at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Wash. He retired as a master gunnery sergeant from the U.S. Marine Corps and recently recruited Janine Cooney, a South Kitsap senior, who plans to enroll in the Cochise College administration of justice program in fall 2013. • Carl Burgess (’93) is director of information security for QVC and resides in Pennsylvania.“I have never taken the time to thank the faculty at the Sierra Vista Campus for allowing a soldier to grow and prosper and to really ‘Be All You Can Be.’ Thanks for all of the support and guidance.” • Al Coons (’67) retired as a Cochise College math instructor and now resides in Tucson. • Eileen (Polk) Cordova last attended Cochise in 1966 and earned a bachelor of arts in human development at California State University, Haywood, in 1984. She spent most of her career in the non-profit sector, doing social work and housing counseling and earned a master’s degree in gerontology in 2001. She resided in both Indiana and California before retiring and returning in 2006 to Sierra Vista. • Rocio Cruz (’09) earned a bachelor of arts in psychology and a bachelor of science in speech pathology at the University of Arizona. She is enrolled in a mas-
ter’s degree program in human relations at Northern Arizona University and is a speech pathology assistant at Intercept Speech in Sierra Vista. The recipient of a donated car during her last semester at Cochise, Rocio says, “I will never forget that because I wouldn't have been able to go to Tucson without it.” • Diane Damewood traveled from Las Vegas, Nev., to attend Cochise, which she attended until 1974. A history and journalism student, she was selected Apache Angel her first year and was a reporter for The Heliograph Student Newspaper. Diane was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness and guidance she received at Cochise.“I grew in many ways at Cochise, formed lifelong friendships with so many…I always look back on my time there with a smile.” • Don Fry coached tennis and was a faculty member at Cochise College in its early years before going into the insurance business. He resides in Tucson. • Rachel Garza attended Cochise until 1973 and is currently finance manager for the State of Arizona Court of Appeals, Division II. A Willcox resident, Rachel came to Cochise with the intention of taking prerequisites and was rewarded with lifelong friendships. She studied management accounting at Tucson College of Business and two years ago earned a degree in education. • Deborah (Bidegain) Gawlik (’67) lived in the residence halls and enjoyed many clubs and activities at Cochise. Today, she resides in Tucson. • Glynis (Meyer) Goodman attended Cochise on a volleyball scholarship in the early 1980s and is a commercial lines insurance agent for Jones-Wilson Insurance Agency.
Lupita C. Herrera (’66), Tucson, was a member of the first Cochise College class and still keeps in touch with fellow students John and Rosaline Pintek of Las Vegas, N.M. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Lupita went to work teaching Spanish at Cochise. Her wedding reception took place in the Douglas Campus Student Union. • Maureen (Scherden) Gorski (’73) earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Arizona State University and now resides in Tucson. • Michael Gray (’93) played baseball at Cochise and is currently an assistant high school principal in the Jurupa Unified School District in California. Michael remembers meeting former coach Chuck Hoyack at an all-star game, and later, Bo Hall.“All they did was be honest and offer me a shot. For that I will be forever grateful. I was treated so well down there. The people were terrific and I grew a lot as a person.” • William (’68) and Jovita (Torres) Kitt (’70) reside in the Tucson area. Bill is a retired U.S. Probation Officer and presently serves as bailiff with the Pima County Juvenile Court.“I learned to be a student and enjoyed my college experience at that very personable college.” Bill went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Northern Arizona University. • Paul Kurus (’87) is fleet manager and a pilot for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Aviation Services. After earning an associate of applied science and private pilot certificate at Cochise, he worked with U.S. Border Patrol Air Operations, as a corporate pilot, and for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Ruben Lardizabal attended Cochise College and played baseball until 1989 and is now a teacher in the Rio Rancho (N.M.) Public Schools.“I loved the school, loved playing baseball there. I met some awesome people like Coach Bo Hall.” • Jon Lykins enrolled in the Cochise College aviation program in the early 1980s and went to work as a mechanic for Mesa’s Cactus Aviation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Phoenix and today is an engineer for Honeywell in Phoenix. • Warren Martin (’73) came from Illinois to play basketball at Cochise College, where he recalls participating in Apache Day and attending Thanksgiving dinner for out-of-area students provided by Doris Dees, the first administrative assistant for the college president. After college, Warren worked in construction and has returned to Illinois. • Ellen (Gustavson) Mobley (’72), Sierra Vista, is now retired but recalls vividly the time that she and Lynn (Reese) Schnee (’72), a retired banker living in Sierra Vista, hit a snow storm while traveling late one Sunday to the Douglas Campus through Palominas. • Tony Romero (’76) is a pilot for Southern Air, which specializes in global long-haul cargo, charter and government operations. • John Stark (’85) is a jet engine test technician for Honeywell. • Susan Stratman (’87) went through the professional pilot program and then became a flight instructor and a pilot of American Airlines. • Margie Torres (‘90) is the scholarship coordinator and administrative assistant for Pima
Community College Foundation. She played basketball under Coach Karen Nicodemus and transferred to Sterling College in Kansas. • Nadia (Englehart) Villalobos (’66) is a retired Pima Community College faculty member. What she remembers most from Cochise was laughing and joking in the cafeteria and the library, French with Mr. Schofield, and choir with LeGrand Anderson. • Bruce Wertz, who last attended Cochise College in 1968, when he served as a member of the Student Senate, now resides in Las Vegas, N.M., and works for the local school district. • Barbara “Bobbie” (Hood) Wiles graduated from the nursing program in 1974 and went on to work as an intensive care nurse in Mesa for 34 years, earning a master’s in nursing with a specialty in family nurse practitioner. She has worked in a cardiology office for the past four years. IN MEMORIAM Dr. Merilyn Nance, Faculty, Behavioral Science, Nov. 1, 2013 • Enid Schwartz, Faculty, Nursing, Oct. 25, 2012 • Homer Koliba, Administration, Oct. 22, 2012 • Cecil Orozco, Faculty, Spanish/Humanities, Sept. 6, 2012 • Chuck Sierra, Library and Instructional Technologies Technician, Aug. 22, 2012 • Ray Levra, Faculty, Art, July 14, 2012 Share your news and updates at www.cochise.edu/alumni or email alumni@cochise.edu.
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