CLU Magazine - April 2018

CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

APRIL 2018

CLUMAGAZINE LINE OF FIRE How they prepared for the worst

BOOKS NOT BOMBS REPORTER’S WILD WINTER VIKING TERRORS HOUSING CRUNCH EQUATORIAL BIRDING

Out in Front

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Peace proposal A graduating senior won a scholarship – for someone who needed it more.

PHOTO BY BRIAN STETHEM ’84 2 CLU MAGAZINE

ivilians trapped in and fleeing from Aleppo, Syria, caught the attention of Kellie Warren ’17 as she finished her degree in English. She looked for ways to help refugees, like donating money and blankets.

“At a certain point I just thought, I want to do more,” she recalls. “If I could find a way to really permanently change someone’s life, the way education would….”

When her final semester started in January 2017, she was going to Cal Lutheran events with a petition from Books Not Bombs, an organization dedicated to establishing U.S. scholarships for some of the 200,000 Syrian college students with no place to study. But the campaign hit a major snag when President Trump signed the first travel ban against people from several majority-Muslim countries.

Wanting to move quickly, Warren decided to reach out to the university administration on her own. She wrote an email to President Chris Kimball.

“The nice thing about being at a small school is you can do something like that,” she said. “He emailed back and said, ‘I would love to meet with you sometime.’”

After graduation and a trip to England, Warren took a binder of statistics to a meeting in July with Kimball. By October, she was on the phone with university administrators, Books Not Bombs managing director Shiyam Galyon and others to plan next steps.

The result? As a new member of the IIE Consortium for Syrian Higher Education in Crisis, Cal Lutheran plans to enroll its first Syrian refugee student this coming fall from the small population already resettled in the U.S. The scholarship will cover tuition and fees and will be renewable with good academic progress.

The biggest surprise for Warren, a former Morning Glory editor and Mark Van Doren Poetry Prize winner, was how fast this came about. The work with Books Not Bombs also led to her current internship with the documentary film 8 Borders, 8 Days, which follows a Syrian refugee family’s path to a new life in Germany. Warren finds venues for screenings and raises funds so that the family can attend some of them.

“So many times, when people think about refugees, it’s just kind of a concept,” she said.

“It doesn’t really hit you what they’ve been through until you’ve seen it with your own eyes.” —Kevin Matthews

BRIAN STETHEM ‘84

CLUMAGAZINE PUBLISHER

Lynda Paige Fulford, MPA ’97 EDITOR

Kevin Matthews ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Peggy L. Johnson ART DIRECTOR

Bree M. Montanarello CONTRIBUTORS

Fred Alvarez, Tony Biasotti, Colleen Cason, Karin Grennan, Jana Weber PHOTOGRAPHER

Brian Stethem ’84 EDITORIAL BOARD

Rachel Ronning ’99 Lindgren Angela (Moller ’96) Naginey, MS ’03 Michaela (Crawford ’79) Reaves, PhD Jean Kelso ’84 Sandlin, MPA ’90, EdD ’12 Bruce Stevenson ’80, PhD Stacy (Reuss ’91) Swanson Colleen Windham-Hughes, PhD VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3

Copyright 2018. Published three times a year by University Relations for alumni, parents and friends.

The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily

APRIL 2018 2 OUT IN FRONT 4 WARM MUGS

Close-up portraits by a sophomore grace a graduate's T. O. coffeehouse.

6 HIGHLIGHTS

When disaster strikes, listeners rely on KCLU's Lance Orozco • The last chicken coop falls.

8 COMMENT

reflect those of Cal Lutheran or the magazine staff.

12 HOME AND ECONOMICS

Ventura County's housing crunch had long been on the minds of planners. Then the fires came.

16 THE LINE OF WILDFIRES

College helped two Ventura County firefighters prepare for the worst.

20 CLASS NOTES 28 MILESTONES

CORRESPOND WITH US

CLU Magazine California Lutheran University 60 W. Olsen Road #1800 Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2787 805-493-3151 clumag@callutheran.edu CalLutheran.edu/magazine CLU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor. Please include your name, phone number, city and state, and note Cal Lutheran graduation years.

If requesting removal from our distribution list, please include your

9 IN MEMORIAM

30 VOCATIONS

10 Q&A: SAM CLAUSSEN

The Vikings' campaign of terror, as told by a historian of violence.

Bird watchers flock to Ecuador, for fun and science.

name and address as they appear on the mailing label.

To submit a class note and photos for publication, write to us or visit

31 LINKS

CalLutheran.edu/alumni. Click on the links labeled Stay Connected

ON THE COVER

Fire captain Marisol Rodriguez ’94, MPA ’00, and batallion chief Jeff Shea ’98 in January at Ventura's charred Serra Cross Park (see Page 16). Photograph by Brian Stethem ’84

and Share Your News. We hope you’ll request an alumni flag and share photos of your travels with it.

CLU Magazine welcomes ideas for articles and nominations for Vocations alumni essays (see Page 30).

APRIL 2018

3

WARM

mugs At an alumni-owned coffee shop near campus, a student-artist's portraits are glad to know you.

PHOTO BY BRIAN STETHEM ’84

C

ara Hoover, a sophomore double-majoring in art and psychology, makes portraits of her friends to teach us about close personal relationships. Three of her paintings will be on indefinite display 10 minutes from campus at Five07 Coffee Bar & Eatery now that the owners, Amber Devolites and Sean McCarthy ’15, are buying them to decorate the long wall at their new business. Devolites and McCarthy, who have been expressing themselves lately with exceptional breakfast crepes and avocado toast, are to be married in May. Painted on heavy squarish panels, Hoover’s portraits offer dramatic perspectives on their young subjects, roughly the view from a cup of coffee. The angles and the large size of the paintings lend feelings of intimacy. Hoover exaggerates features and especially shadows with her contrasting and heavily saturated tones. She offers closeness but not depth in these paintings, a choice that marks a phase in her budding career.

“They’re very flat," she said. "That’s something I’m experimenting with and something I’m starting to step away from.”

Hoover was brought up in Oklahoma City by her grandparents, who won a drawing lesson when she was 10 and sent her to take it. She kept the same art teacher through her school years. She tried acrylics and thought she didn’t like to paint; slow-drying oils suited her better and set her on a serious path. —Kevin Matthews Located adjacent to Vons at 2036 E. Avenida de los Arboles, Suite C, Five07 Coffee Bar & Eatery is open 7:30 a.m. to midnight seven days a week (see thefive07.com).

4 CLU MAGAZINE

Sophomore Cara Hoover has chosen friends as portrait subjects.

APRIL APRIL 2018 2018

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Highlights

STRAIGHT TO THE STORY,

THROUGH FIRE & MUD

A community service of Cal Lutheran for 23 years, KCLU Radio promises its 130,000 weekly listeners the sounds and stories of the California Coast. News director Lance Orozco delivers, particularly when it counts. BY COLLEEN CASON

With help from reporter John Palminteri (left), news director Lance Orozco has made KCLU Radio indispensable during disaster.

Photos courtesy of Orozco

6 CLU MAGAZINE

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or three weeks in December, when residents of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties needed to know where the fire was, they tuned to KCLU-FM. The station’s news director, Lance Orozco, was on the disaster’s front lines, reporting stories of heartbreaking loss, narrow escapes, brave rescues and outpourings of aid for victims.

Orozco already had left the station on the evening of Dec. 4 when he received a tip from evening anchor Dave Meyer that a fire erupted near Thomas Aquinas College, north of Santa Paula. Orozco has covered other monster fires for KCLU Radio and won a national award for his 2016 reporting on the Sherpa blaze near Santa Barbara. He knew that when tinder-dry brush meets roaring wind, trouble follows.

By 3 a.m. the 35-year news veteran was reporting live via his tricked-out laptop from Ventura, where hillside homes were ablaze. Power was out in much of the city. Evacuees would later tell him they sat in their cars using his coverage to follow the fire’s path.

“My job was to be there for the listeners, to be their eyes on the fire,” he said.

Orozco stayed on the air until 1 p.m. that day, grabbed a couple hours of sleep and broadcast until 11 p.m. the next day. When he was told he looked tired, he replied he’d slept eight hours – in three days.

International and national news outlets came to Orozco to inform their listeners about the Thomas Fire as it entered the record books as the largest wildfire in modern California history.

He reported for the BBC, National Public Radio and NPR affiliates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix.

KCLU listeners came first, though. He even provided them with some personalized reports. A Montecito resident emailed Orozco to ask if his home was still standing. The newsman happened to be in the area and replied with the encouraging report that a firetruck was parked in the man’s driveway.

“Obviously I couldn’t tell everyone about every house in every neighborhood. But I know nothing is worse than to not have information and to be in

limbo land,” said the 59-year-old who has worked at KCLU for 16 years.

Few stories in recent memory have touched more lives in the region than Thomas, which scorched 280,000 acres from Fillmore to the sea, incinerating hundreds of homes in neighborhoods few people imagined would ever burn.

The blaze took the lives of a firefighter and a resident as she tried to flee.

On Jan. 9, he found his path into Montecito blocked by a mountain of mud and boulders as big as cars.

By consuming hillside vegetation, the blaze set the stage for January mudslides that ravaged Montecito, killing at least 21 and destroying hundreds of structures. For days, mud and debris blocked Highway 101, the state’s vital transportation artery.

Around Christmas, with the blaze mostly contained, Orozco took badly needed down time. But it wasn’t long before disaster loomed again. With forecasters predicting dangerous downpours on the burnt hillsides, KCLU kept listeners informed on evacuations.

When the deluge finally hit on Jan. 9, Orozco found his path into Montecito blocked by a mountain of mud and boulders as big as cars.

It took him a day to navigate into the disaster zone, where he stood kneedeep in mud surrounded by homes so damaged, parts of them somehow ended up in the tree branches.

During his breaking-news coverage of the twin disasters, Orozco put 7,000 miles on the station’s SUV, which was at one point accidentally drenched by an aerial water drop. He also came under flame-retardant liquid that ruined his shirt. He witnessed folks fighting ember showers with garden hoses to save their neighborhoods.

“We are helping people who never had kids at CLU, who have never been to campus,” he said. “These are people we have never met, and we provide them with something that is important to them.”

Colleen Cason is an award-winning journalist and longtime columnist for the Ventura County Star. A Thousand Oaks resident, she has served as adviser to The Echo student newspaper and now edits Central Coast Farm & Ranch magazine.

APRIL 2018

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Highlights Comment

Last chicken coop comes down BRIAN STETHEM ‘84

Workers take apart “F” Building, one of the ranch structures that predates California Lutheran College.

S

ome 57 years after opening to students, “F” Building, last of the chicken coops, came down in January.

Over the years, the converted ranch building had housed not

News briefs HOSPITALITY MAJOR With support from more than 50 industry leaders, Cal Lutheran will offer a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management, the only one available from a private institution in Southern California, starting in the fall.

The School of Management spent two years working with organizations including AmaWaterways, Westlake Village Inn, Pleasant Holidays, 8 CLU MAGAZINE

just classes, but a coffee shop, the college chapel, the first services of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, art studios and offices, Board of Regents meetings and probably more.

The Walt Disney Co., Conejo Valley Tourism Improvement District and Urbane Cafe to develop the program.

Many of them stepped forward with more than $600,000 in seed funding for a professorship and scholarship fund, and companies have committed to more than 50 internships.

COURSE INSIDE JAIL An associate professor of criminology and criminal justice is teaching the first college class inside a Ventura County jail for both incarcerated and traditional students. Schannae

“F” Building and the smaller, conjoined “A” and “B” buildings stayed upright as long as they did because the art department needed them while waiting for the William Rolland Art Center to open last fall.

They had to go as soon as they did to make way for progress in the form of a 47,000-square-foot science center. The three-story building, scheduled for completion by fall 2020, will not replace the 30-year-old Ahmanson Science Center, but connect to it via a skyway. (See the image on this magazine’s back cover.)

DECEMBER 2017

OPENINGS New views & fresh starts

CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

Ground has been broken for a larger, modern science center connected to Ahmanson by skyway. PHOTO BY BRIAN STETHEM ’84

CLUMAGAZINE OXNARD POWER HOUSE TOUCHING STRINGS DOCTOR KNOW COACHING ADJUSTMENTS BUILT TO CODE

Where’s Hank?

It was with great interest that I read Jim Carlisle’s two articles about the impact of our alumni in the ranks of professional and major college sports and, in particular, football programs past and present. As I read the article entitled “CLU stamp on football goes way beyond California” (December 2017, Page 21), I noted that the former NFL special teams coach for the then San Diego Chargers, Hank Bauer [’76], was missing from the list. He coached for four years (’83-’86) with the Chargers after his retirement as a player.

I am proud of CLU and our school’s sports legacy and think a very important Kingsman was left out of the article.

Sincerely, Daniel S. Weber ’75 Football, 1971-1974

Lucas, kneeling, with the “outside” students

Lucas prepared for more than two years to bring the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program to Todd Road Jail near Santa Paula, receiving training at Pennsylvania’s maximum security Graterford Prison and the state prison in Norco, California.

Five California colleges currently participate in Inside-Out, a program launched in 1997 that has served more than 30,000 “inside” and “outside” students. The Cal Lutheran class is one of a very few that offers college credit to its eight incarcerated students.

View from my Office Claire (Hillard ’04) Matney shared this view from Scallop Cove, her familyowned general store in Port St. Joe, Florida.

How's the view where you work? Share your photo using the hashtag #CLUalumni or send it to alumni@callutheran.edu!

In Memoriam Elmer Ramsey June 3, 1930 – Feb. 9, 2018 After more than 70 years of playing trumpet professionally and more than 50 bringing concerts to the Conejo Valley while guiding generations of musicians, Elmer Ramsey died at his Thousand Oaks home following a short illness. He was 87.

Ramsey came to Cal Lutheran in 1965 as music director and conductor of the CLC-Conejo Community Symphony Orchestra. He created arrangements for and conducted Cal Lutheran’s orchestra on tours that included stops at the Los Angeles Music Center, and he composed many songs for the university including the Fight Song, Sweetheart Song, “Hail, Kingsmen” (dedicated to Coach Bob Shoup), Loyalty Song (dedicated to CLC president Raymond Olson), and the middle section of the Alma Mater sung today. Under his guidance, the college-community symphony became the professional Conejo Symphony Orchestra.

Ramsey retired as professor emeritus in 1992 and continued his many community music ventures. He was instrumental in the development of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, launched the Conejo Pops Orchestra and co-founded the Oakleaf Music Festival.

For a time, he was conducting 14 concerts a year and pulling in guest artists including Shirley Jones, John Raitt and Carol Lawrence.

The Conejo Future Foundation and Thousand Oaks Arts Commission are among the many organizations that have honored Ramsey. In 2009, Cal Lutheran presented him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

Ramsey is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elaine; five children who all attended CLU, Dan ’74, Laura Van Auker, Janine ’77, MA ’79, Donegan, Doug ’80 and Angela ’87; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Elizabeth “Betty” Knox

Janet Luree Gorder Knutson

Byron Ralph Swanson

Jan. 9, 1922 – July 15, 2017 Former Cal Lutheran regent Betty Knox died peacefully at age 95 at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California.

During two terms as a member of the Board of Regents, from 1994 to 2001, she served as chair of the Board Enhancement Committee and as a member of the University Advancement, Executive and Campus Master Planning committees.

She is survived by a son, two daughters including Alice ’78, and a granddaughter.

Jan. 5, 1941 – Dec. 1, 2017 Former Cal Lutheran educator Jan Knutson died from heart failure at age 76 in Olympia, Washington.

She and her husband, Mark, came to Cal Lutheran in 1986 when Mark began serving as campus minister. Jan taught in the School of Education from 1987 to 1991 then served as liberal arts coordinator and admission counselor until 1999.

She is survived by her husband of 54 years, two sons, daughter Molly Knutson-Keller ’90, MDiv ’96, and four grandchildren.

April 22, 1930 – Oct. 24, 2017 Cal Lutheran professor emeritus Byron Swanson died peacefully surrounded by family in Fort Collins, Colorado.

He was 87.

He joined the religion faculty in 1979 and retired in 1995 but continued to teach part-time an additional four years. He received the university’s Inspiration Award in 1983 and was named an honorary alumnus in 1995.

He is survived by Kathryn, his wife of 61 years and former director of Cal Lutheran’s women’s programs and re-entry services, one daughter and three sons, including Todd ’84, and six grandchildren.

Donations in Ramsey’s memory to the future Cal Lutheran Center for Media and Performing Arts may be sent to 60 W. Olsen Road #1625, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. For information, go to CalLutheran.edu/ memorialgift or contact Lana Clark at 805-493-3163 or lclark@callutheran.edu.

William E. Lesher May 24, 1932 – Jan. 23, 2018

The Rev. William E. Lesher, 85, the third president of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, died of heart disease and cancer at his home in Claremont, California. Active in civil rights and interfaith movements, he marched as a church pastor in Selma and recently chaired the Parliament of World Religions.

Lesher left the pulpit in 1971 to join the faculty of Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He moved to California in 1973 and served as president of PLTS until 1978. He then served as LSTC president until 1997.

He and his wife, Jean, became involved with the parliament in 1993. While chair of the Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2010, he led two major interfaith gatherings in Barcelona and Melbourne.

Lesher is survived by his wife of 60 years, sons Greg and David, and three grandchildren.

APRIL 2018

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Q&A The course on Vikings meets at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in a room featuring this stave church door, a 13th-century design.

TWICE-WEEKLY

TALES OF GORE

Assistant professor of history Sam Claussen’s new course on Vikings asks how a small population terrorized northern Europe and then embraced the conquered people’s cultures. PHOTO BY BRIAN STETHEM ’84

CLU ADMINISTRATION Do you have any favorite Viking stories?

I was skeptical of the History Channel from day one, but the TV show Vikings actually turned out pretty good. I’d recommend it. Basically, it follows the life of this man named Ragnar Lothbrok. He is legendary; we don’t know if he ever existed.

Anyway, after many years of attacking England, he’s captured in battle by the king of Northumbria. The king has a nasty attitude and puts Ragnar in a pit of vipers that devour him. The famous line that Ragnar yells out as he’s dying is, My, how the piglets will grunt when they hear how the old boar suffered.

That’s when we shift from the legendary into the historical, because what happens is that Ragnar’s sons – if we believe they are – form what’s called the Great Heathen Army and invade England. They destroy the king of Northumbria in a very nasty way and conquer almost all of England except for the kingdom of Essex led by Alfred the Great.

The English language is indelibly marked

by Viking influence. Some of the technological and military innovations are key. Their ships not only sit high enough in the water that they can go up rivers but are also capable of sailing across the high seas. European Christians will eventually borrow that technology and Viking military techniques.

What is a Viking raid like?

A ship pulls up to the beach, they jump out, they slaughter people, they grab things, they take some people back to be slaves, and then they’re gone. That’s the terror of the Vikings: A raid is sort of a lightning war. They target monasteries because they’re wealthy, or towns.

Are we talking about a diverse group of people?

I’m glad you asked that. One of the issues roiling medieval studies right now is the question, “Were the Middle Ages ‘white’?”

The Vikings in particular are becoming a flashpoint of this debate. Most of the original Vikings were probably northern Europeans, but we have evidence from burials – where they do skeletal analysis and look at genetics – that there were Vikings from Central Asia.

Later, you get English becoming Vikings, you get Irish, you get French. When they get down into the Mediterranean, we have some evidence that some Muslims join up and that northern Africans become Vikings. The longer this period goes on and the farther the Vikings reach, the less we can think of them as this sort of pure European white race.

How far did this take them?

You have raids through Italy, into Sicily, parts of North Africa. Eventually they’ll get into Russia and all the way to Byzantium. They become the elite guard of the Byzantine emperor in Constantinople, the Varangian Guard.

Their successes are really in northern Europe and Iceland. They raid through Spain and that’s where their first defeats really come. France and England aren’t ready for the Vikings raids, but the Muslim world is stronger and more powerful.

The last part is hopping over to our part of the world, settling in Greenland. Most scholars would say they got to Canada as well.

What is there to be proud of in a Viking heritage, for those who have one?

Right, as a cultural historian of violence, I talk about the brutality, but Vikings did a lot of cool things too. In Iceland, they developed law in a way that was sort of new to northern Europe. It’s not what we would recognize today as democracy, but it was a broad-based community system.

With a last name like Claussen, are you a bit of a Viking?

I joke that my dad’s side of the family was all Vikings, though we’re not sure if they came from Denmark or northern Germany. My mother’s maiden name was Fausett, which doesn’t sound Viking. But hold on, because that’s an English name that comes from French, so they came over with the Norman invasion, and the Normans themselves were Vikings. The Vikings were everywhere and probably had quite a little impact on the gene pool of northern and eastern Europe.

Are there other people in history like the Vikings?

We see this over and over again in different times and places – the Vikings, the Mongols, in some pre-Columbian American history – that you have these “barbarian” peoples who are not as advanced as settled societies and may be relatively small in number, but who put together these good armies. They don’t have written language for a long time, they’re seen as not as advanced as Christian Europe, and yet, they develop a military that can overwhelm or at least temporarily defeat it.

Chris Kimball, PhD President Leanne Neilson, PsyD Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Karen Davis, MBA ’95 Vice President for Administration and Finance Melissa Maxwell-Doherty ’77, MDiv ’81 Vice President for Mission and Identity Melinda Roper, EdD Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Matthew Ward, PhD Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing R. Stephen Wheatly ’77, JD Vice President for University Advancement Gerhard Apfelthaler, PhD Dean of the School of Management Michael Hillis, PhD Dean of the Graduate School of Education Richard Holigrocki, PhD Dean of the Graduate School of Psychology Jessica Lavariega Monforti, PhD Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences The Rev. Raymond Pickett, PhD Rector of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary The Rev. Alicia Vargas, MDiv ’95, PhD Dean of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary BOARD OF REGENTS Susan Lundeen-Smuck ’88, Chair Jim Overton, Vice Chair Bill Camarillo, Secretary Linda Baumhefner Glen Becerra The Rev. Jim Bessey ’66 Ann Boynton ’83 Wallace Brohaugh Sue Chadwick Dennis Erickson, PhD Paul Fields ’18 Randall Foster Rod Gilbert Veronica Guerrero, EdD The Rev. Mark Hanson The Rev. Mark Holmerud Jon Irwin Chris Kimball, PhD Judy Larsen, PhD Jill Lederer Rick Lemmo Malcolm McNeil The Rev. David Nagler, MDiv ’93 The Rev. Frank Nausin ’70, MDiv ’74 Carrie Nebens Kären Olson ’83 Debra Papageorge ’12 Dennis Robbins ’86 Erin (Rivers ’97) Rulon, MBA ’06 Mike Soules Mark Stegemoeller Nick Steinwender ’19 Deborah Sweeney Jim Swenson Russell Young ’71 CAL LUTHERAN MISSION The mission of the university is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice.

APRIL 2018

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LOCALS MOVE ON, REBUILD, MOVE IN AND ENDURE – BUT THE RENT ALSO RISES 12 CLU MAGAZINE

BRIAN STETHEM ‘84

Before December's wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes, housing affordability was a big issue in Ventura County, and alumni were looking for solutions.

BY TONY BIASOTTI ’84

W

Cary Glenn ’14, Jarrod Poirot and their son, Alex Uribe, lost artworks and other prized objects from Mexico, France and Turkey when their apartment was destroyed by the Thomas Fire. Still, they plan to collect art for the new place in Ventura.

hen the Hawaiian Village Apartments in downtown Ventura burned to the ground in the early morning hours of Dec. 5, the first night of the Thomas Fire, Cary Glenn ’14 lost her home of five and a half years.

Glenn, a city of Ventura employee and graduate in organizational leadership, lived in apartment 28 with her husband, Jarrod Poirot, and her adult son. It was a two-bedroom corner unit with ocean views from every room. The rent was $1,500 per month.

They knew they wouldn’t find another $1,500 ocean-view apartment in Ventura, but they were still shocked by what they found.

“Anything comparable to what we had was $2,400 to $2,800,” Glenn said.

If they wanted to spend $2,000 per month, they looked at “old, dilapidated apartments,” Poirot said. “There was definitely some sticker shock.”

They stayed at a coworker’s friend’s house while looking for a new place. In mid-January, they found a condominium unit for rent in a newer building in West Ventura, a two-bedroom unit for $2,350. They moved in Jan. 19.

“It’s going to be an adjustment, but for us it’s doable,” Glenn said. “It just means less money going into savings, less money for retirement.”

The Thomas Fire forced Glenn and Poirot into a housing market that was already inhospitable to both renters and buyers, even before the fire destroyed hundreds of homes. In July 2017, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Ventura County was $2,023, according to a semiannual survey by the Ventura real estate firm Dyer Sheehan Group. To afford that average two-bedroom apartment, while spending 35 percent of the household income on rent, a renter would have to make just under $70,000 per year.

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Glenn and her family were able to save precious photographs from the fire.

More than 60 percent of Ventura County residents are homeowners, which means they’re happy when prices go up. There are signs, though, that public opinion is shifting, even in notoriously slowgrowth cities.

14 CLU MAGAZINE

Things are even grimmer for those who want to buy a home. The median price of a home sold in Ventura County in December 2017 was $580,000, according to the real estate research firm CoreLogic, a 10.5 percent increase over the previous year. In Southern California, only Orange County had a higher median price, and only Santa Barbara County had a higher rate of annual price increases. Only 27 percent of households in Ventura County can afford to pay the median price, according to the affordability index developed by the California Association of Realtors.

The result is that young professionals who graduate from CLU or other colleges have little hope of staying in Ventura County if they ever want to own their homes.

“It’s terrible, and it keeps getting worse,” said Sandy Smith, MPPA ’14, a land use consultant to homebuilders and other developers with Sespe Consulting in Ventura, and a senior adjunct professor in Cal Lutheran’s master’s program for public policy and administration. “It has a huge impact on our economy.”

Smith is a former Ventura city councilman and the current chairman of the Ventura County Economic Development Association. The biggest challenge for economic development in the county, he said – the biggest concern that businesses have when they are considering moving here – is housing affordability for their workers.

Without sufficient housing, people overcrowd the housing that is available, Smith said, or they live farther and farther away from their jobs, making traffic even worse.

There are a host of reasons for Ventura County’s high rents and home prices, said Kirk Lesh, a real estate economist and an assistant professor at the university’s School of Management.

California has a history of boom-and-bust real estate cycles, and we’re now in a boom phase. Ventura County in particular has high demand – due to its climate, natural beauty and quality of life – and limited supply of new housing. Growth control laws make it difficult to build new subdivisions, and construction projects within existing neighborhoods also draw opposition from many residents.

Lesh said he thinks the Thomas Fire is going to have an effect on the county’s housing market, driving rents and home prices even higher and apartment vacancy rates even lower. The countywide apartment vacancy rate is around 3 percent, and in Ventura it’s below 2 percent.

“If you want to put downward pressure on prices, you’ve got to build enough homes that supply exceeds demand,” Lesh said. “I don’t know what that magic number is, but we’re nowhere near it.”

But reversing, or even slowing, the current acceleration in home prices wouldn’t make everyone happy. More than 60 percent of Ventura County residents are homeowners, which means they’re happy when prices go up. That makes it difficult to build political support for new housing, Lesh said.

“There’s a sense that people who own homes look at them as investments, and not just as places to live,” he said.

EDUCATION & EXPLORATION / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

There are signs, though, that public opinion is shifting in favor of more housing. Smith said he’s seen it all over Ventura County, even in notoriously slow-growth cities like Thousand Oaks.

“In all the years that I’ve been an advocate for affordable housing, to have a conversation about how we’re losing our youth and losing our middle class … that’s the state conversation now,” Smith said. “Are people listening more? Absolutely.”

urban neighborhoods, often in buildings that have commercial tenants on the ground floors.

The housing crunch has become a major political issue all over the state, with numerous proposals in Sacramento to encourage more building by forcing local governments to loosen their regulations.

For example, one recent law makes it legal for owners of many single-family homes to build a “granny flat” unit in their back yards.

Local governments, nonprofits and developers are using a variety of tactics to address the problem. One is subsidized affordable housing aimed specifically at people below certain income thresholds.

Steve Dwyer ’84 is the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, a builder of subsidized affordable housing. Subsidized housing usually means rental units, but Habitat takes a different tack. Its volunteers and contractors build homes that are bought by qualifying low-income families.

There are deed restrictions that keep the home designated for low-income buyers if the original owner sells it.

To be eligible for a Habitat home, a family of four in Ventura County must have a household income of no more than $79,900, Dwyer said.

“We are working with contributors to our community, families who are working hard to have stability and yet don’t have careers that offer the opportunity to buy a home here,” he said.

For example, one family that Habitat is building for in Oxnard consists of a city employee and a worker at the Port of Hueneme.

Another need is market rate housing. In Ventura County, this rarely means large new subdivisions of single-family homes, because local laws make it difficult to build on farmland or open space. The momentum in recent years is toward what’s known as “infill” development: apartments or condominiums in existing

No city in Ventura County has growth control laws as strict as those in Thousand Oaks, where a measure approved by voters in 1996 put a cap on the number of units that could ever be built in the city. Since then, the city has added about 5,000 units of new housing, and the population has grown by just 9 percent over 21 years.

But even in Thousand Oaks, developers are building, and their focus is on mixed-use infill projects in the downtown core, along Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

“Our housing stock for the studio and onebedroom apartments is an area of opportunity,” said Thousand Oaks City Manager Andrew Powers, MPPA ’14.

“That’s where the demand is, and that’s what we hear from employers who are making hires fresh out of college.”

There is a 36-unit, mixed-use building now under construction in downtown Thousand Oaks, and two more buildings in the planning phase with a combined 249 units, said Mark Towne, the city’s community development director. All of them have some units set aside as subsidized affordable housing.

Those types of neighborhoods – walkable and relatively dense, for a suburban environment – are rare in Ventura County.

“Millennials want an option for a lifestyle that we have yet to really build to,” Smith said. “It isn’t about destroying single family neighborhoods. It’s about offering another option.”

Lesh, the real estate economist, said “building up” is a potential solution to the affordable housing crisis, but one that Ventura County residents may not accept. There won’t be one single solution to this problem, Lesh said, and it’s possible there won’t be any solutions at all.

“The truth is, I honestly don’t know what can be done,” he said.

“This is going to be something that coastal California, not just Ventura County, is going to struggle with.”

The recent momentum is toward “infill” development in existing urban neighborhoods, often in buildings that have commercial tenants on the ground floors.

Tony Biasotti is a freelance journalist who lives in Ventura. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, Ventura County Star and Pacific Coast Business Times.

APRIL 2018

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The line of

WILDFIRES

As business majors and college athletes in the 1990s, these two firefighters pictured themselves in other careers. Cal Lutheran helped to shape them into the people we needed in December. BY FRED ALVAREZ // PHOTOS BY BRIAN STETHEM ’84 16 CLU MAGAZINE

W

hen Jeff Shea ’98 thinks back on Cal Lutheran, invariably his best memories include football.

The record-setting Kingsmen punter cherished working with teammates day in and day out, and reveled in the camaraderie that comes from the tireless pursuit of a common goal.

The same desire, in large part, drove him toward a career in the fire service, where he joined a team of a different kind. He rose from the rank of firefighter to battalion chief in nearly two decades with the Ventura County Fire Department.

Teamwork took on a deeper meaning the night of Dec. 4, as Shea assumed command of firefighting troops assigned to do battle against what would grow into the largest fire in modern California history.

As the Thomas Fire erupted that evening near his old hometown of Santa Paula, Shea was put in charge of assigning resources in the most ferocious and destructive section of the fire on Day 1: a 13-mile corridor stretching from the drought-ravaged hillsides just west of Santa Paula to the tracts of houses and apartments that run ever denser as they slope toward the ocean in Ventura.

Pushed by Santa Ana winds gusting at up to 80 mph, the blaze at its most voracious was devouring an acre a second, by one calculation, as it blowtorched its way that first night nearly all the way to the sea.

“That kind of fire activity is just unheard of,” said Shea, a Thousand Oaks resident and former CLU Alumni Board member, whose main job that first night was to try to figure out where the fire was going, get out in front of it and get people out of its way.

“Our number one objective was to protect life and safety, and to assist with structure defense,” Shea added. “I will say that everyone gave everything they had that night and the next two weeks to protect life and property.”

Although an instinct to protect is Shea’s by nature, he didn’t always want to be a firefighter.

Football was his first love, and he was good at it. He played multiple positions for Santa Paula High School’s squad and then found his niche as a punter once he committed to CLU in 1994, drawn by the opportunity to play college ball.

Shea holds the NCAA Division III record for the highest punt average for a career and the CLU record for longest punt, having booted one that traveled 85 yards. He also is in a group of only five D-III college football players who have been named First Team All-American three times, and was the first three-time AllAmerican punter in any NCAA division.

He sought to extend his football career by trying out for several NFL teams, but his big league dream never materialized.

Turns out, the business administration graduate was destined for a leading role on a different stage.

“As a teammate, I remember Jeff being super-positive – the first guy to celebrate success, the first guy to pickup a teammate who was struggling,” said CLU head football coach Ben McEnroe, who was an assistant on the staff when Shea played.

“He’s an enthusiastic leader, and the type of guy who’s easy to get behind,” McEnroe added. “I’m not surprised at all that he was instrumental in leading those brave firefighters into the face of danger.”

On the first night of the Thomas Fire, Shea assessed fire activity and planned for evacuations along the Highway 150 corridor between Santa Paula and Upper Ojai, an area he knew well because he grew up nearby and had his first firefighting job with the Santa Paula Fire Department.

Because of the high wind warnings and low humidity levels forecast for that day, Shea said his department had significantly increased staffing, but the beefed-up firefighting force was still no match for the winds.

It also became apparent on that first night that the 13-mile corridor between Santa Paula and Ventura, Shea’s field of command, would become the epicenter of the firestorm.

Driving up the narrow roadways that provide access to the farms and rural homes that dot the western edge of the Santa Clara River Valley, firefighters encountered terrified people. The smoke was thick and choking, and angry red ember showers – palm fronds the size of boogie boards, Shea remembers – streaked the night sky, setting off more fire wherever they touched down, often miles ahead of the main blaze.

For civilians in the path of the wind-whipped flames, disbelief and confusion took hold.

Shea said he and his team put people in cars with strangers just to get them out of the area. He remembers driving up to one house where both cars were ablaze in the driveway and the occupants were still in their home with no clue what to do next.

It got worse as Shea made his way into Ventura and the inferno began consuming entire neighborhoods. Somewhere in that chaos, as people sought to flee by all means, Shea was hit by a car. The powerful glancing blow tore the sole off his boot.

“You have to understand the context – I had never seen anything like this, and the people whose lives and property were being impacted had never seen anything like this,” Shea said. “They

At one house, both cars were ablaze in the driveway and the occupants were still inside with no clue what to do next. were running for their lives and fire was chasing them.”

Shea was checked out at the hospital and, hours later, was back on the frontlines. He would work the fire for six days straight.

As he looks back, Shea said the Thomas Fire points up the importance of preparation, noting that his department and others have programs to help the public plan for emergencies.

But he said it also points up the significance of teamwork. Firefighters from dozens of agencies across the state worked together to battle a blaze that was blamed for two deaths – a Cal Fire engineer from San Diego and a Santa Paula woman who died while trying to escape the flames.

“Obviously the loss of life is tragic, but considering the circumstances I do take pride in how many people we were able to get out of harm’s way,” Shea said. “How many thousands of people were we able to help get to safety? It was a collective effort, and it required all of us to show up and do our jobs.”

APRIL 2018

17

A

s fate would have it, Marisol Rodriguez ’94, MPA ’00, was the safety officer on duty the evening the first call went out.

A fire, its ignition point somewhere near Steckel Park north of Santa Paula, had quickly consumed 50 acres and was on the move, driven by powerful Santa Ana winds.

What that meant for Rodriguez, a captain with the Ventura County Fire Department assigned to the training division, was that her hopes for a tranquil Monday evening had evaporated.

As the on-call safety officer Dec. 4, it was her job to assess hazardous conditions and develop a safety plan for firefighters battling the blaze.

She had no way of knowing that this blaze, which would be dubbed the Thomas Fire, would be unlike any other she had ever worked.

As Rodriguez drove toward Santa Paula, the hillsides north of the city were already awash in an angry orange glow, and like hundreds of other firefighters that night she headed into the flames.

Fire roared on both sides of Highway 150 toward Upper Ojai, whipped by winds so fierce they felt like they would rip off the door of her pickup truck every time she stopped and got out.

Telephone poles were on fire, as were the power lines in between them. The ember wash was so severe that those without goggles could barely see, their eyes red and nearly swollen shut.

“People were in a daze, they were seeing things they weren’t used to seeing,” said Rodriguez, who studied business administration as an undergrad at Cal Lutheran and then followed with a public administration degree in CLU’s master’s program.

She has also earned a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from Capella University.

“That internship changed my whole life,” Rodriguez added.

“Cal Lutheran really prepared me so that I knew this is what I wanted to do. The academics, the athletics, all of it just culminated so that this became the natural next step for me.”

“This turned out to be the biggest fire in California history, so nobody had ever seen anything like it before,” Rodriguez added. “The conditions were incredible, and it required everything we had in response.”

So how did a business major end up on the front lines of California’s largest fire? In no small measure, she has CLU to thank.

Born in Buffalo, New York, and raised in the San Fernando Valley and then Newbury Park, Rodriguez said she was drawn to CLU because it was close to home and it offered her the opportunity to continue playing volleyball, a longtime passion she nourished as an undergrad all four years. But she said she also was drawn to the school because of its warm and welcoming faculty and students, and the broad range of educational opportunities it offered.

One of those was the chance to intern starting her junior year with the Ventura County Fire Department, thanks to a partnership CLU had forged with the fire agency.

That internship revealed a world she knew little about, and one she had not previously known was open to women. In fact, it wasn’t until she started with county fire that she met her first female firefighter and realized this could be her path as well.

“I don’t think a lot of young girls think it’s an option. They don’t really see us,” said Rodriguez, noting that even at her agency only 11 of the 450 firefighters are women.

The scene was nightmarish. But Rodriguez said there also was beauty in the human story of that night, as firefighters and neighbors worked together to beat back the inferno.

“I was so incredibly proud seeing all of those people wanting at their core to help each other,” Rodriguez said. “I was proud of the humanity I saw that night.”

Assigned to the Thomas Fire for more than half of December, Rodriguez said she also saw plenty of evidence of the value of fire department programs aimed at reducing fire hazards around homes and training homeowners how to respond.

That puts her in a unique position, in her current assignment, to help raise education and awareness about those campaigns. It also puts her in a position to help find recruits like her, young people who simply haven’t been exposed to what a great job firefighting can be.

“I give presentations to students all the time, and I make sure these young women, and young men, know that they can do anything they want with their lives,” Rodriguez said. “I like to tell them, ‘If you can dream it, you can be it.’”

18 CLU MAGAZINE

Rodriguez was hired by Ventura County fire in 1995 and worked her way up from firefighter to engineer to fire captain.

Now assigned to the training division, her responsibilities include serving as a Community Emergency Response Team instructor, running fire academy programs and acting as a public information officer for the department.

Those responsibilities also regularly include being the department’s on-call safety officer, which thrust her into the thick of a fire that would rage for more than a month and blacken an area nearly the size of Los Angeles.

The first 24 hours of the Thomas Fire were the most explosive and destructive.

As she continued the loop through Ojai and headed back on Highway 33 toward the coast, Rodriguez recalls hearing on the radio the first reports of homes being consumed in the hillsides above Ventura.

“My heart just sank – that doesn’t happen in Ventura County,” she said. “Then I heard another report, and it just kept happening.”

Rodriguez headed toward those hillside neighborhoods, stopping to help people who were outside their homes and on their roofs, using garden hoses to defend against the flames.

This was not brush catching fire, but ornamental shrubbery and palm trees and patio furniture going up in flames as embers continued to wash across neighborhoods, touching off one blaze after another.

Fred Alvarez is a high school history and journalism teacher who lives in Ojai. For more than two decades, he was a staff writer for daily newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

DANIEL DREIFUSS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

This was not brush catching fire, but ornamental shrubbery and palm trees and patio furniture going up in flames as embers touched off one blaze after another.

APRIL 2018

19

CLASS NOTES NOTICES RECEIVED AS OF JAN. 10

UNDERGRADUATE

Not sure how to submit a note? See Page 3.

1960s

Washington, Unt quae. Fugia nossit aut quo inum qui audant. Catiatem utenimodi ut faccus ipietus andent eum nem reprae sunt quiatatur am sus inveris susapelecte nos distrum apid erum que volorro molut quaspe dollupt aturisc iendit faceria eculpa nonemo coriae. Itatio. Itat lamus dolorib ustemqui adit, nonet rem recae alit expero qui de nia quodis pellign issimus et offictatur aut ellabo. Nam faccus, conseque nonectiae volut landiae omni sed qui con eatur, sum quo bea dia doloreius, ab incienti voloria et eum voluptatiam, tene cullam, quiasinum elicabor aut entio tem que nemquas essi beriam latur?

Bis milit reperum fugiam voloresequae derovit quam et rent aute res audis et

harum recest, ipsus moditio doluptatem et qui te lacesequi temporem qui dellabo.

Iliqui cum quodi non prae. Quatio. Ita volesti que recus dolum vel ilibus.

Inimagn isciati oritaecte vellaccum et offic to id quia cuptaqui voles audae mi, omnis autem volupta nonseditat qui nem sitibusantia perumet uribusda ni ditae reritatur?

Ipsum eicipsapic tempe minctor uptatem quostisit fugiam alit, sus, accum sani venita voluptur, volumque sinus qui cum ipsum quodis es aut expelest, sit alis diam ullita aut entiur?

Pudis estem. Licipsunte et antiur, corem soloreseque dollabo reprovid quas quo verore nus porem veleste plitatem et harum, ullorepta eum ad magnien ihillacit quam re, quatur?

Es as apiet aut resendi pidusam hicae prerior ibuscidisita quia deritaturis nus et quod et ent maionem facesequi blaborit et ut ut mossi ani ommodi sandis excererferis aut vollest iunditis aspiet fugit, optia dunt lam eoste vit as unt.

Aciis doluptate ped quam faccabore velecearibus audanis nest, quis repudig nihictem explibus, officienem qui ium adi isti ut maximus, quo to cum asit quis et quis rem quis natet unto testi volorep uditatur aut quia veliqui atusam qui a cum, aturior ibeatis sin consequaere quo consed quidisit, viderem dolentemquam dolor aute vel is re nus et quid quatur as et, si berum et adis dolupta tissimin recusto rempore accabori del int.

Nem aut acipicimodis ut ad moloratem

TAKE CAL LUTHERAN WITH YOU

1970s

Veronica (Hall ’84) Frost of Enon, Ohio, enjoyed a hiking and rafting trip with the Archaeological Conservancy along the San Juan River in Utah last June.

FOLLOW THE FLAG IN THREE EASY STEPS 1. Request your free flag from alumni@CalLutheran.edu 2. Pose with your flag 3. Share your picture online via Facebook or CalLutheran.edu/alumni

#clualumni

20 CLU MAGAZINE

quid qui iderum vendios que nullabo rescipist, cum quam nisquibus etus voluptatisi aborunt, qui blabore rnatent resequo qui beatius, consed molorit oditatu riaerovitat explique officitat hillicipid quid ut ommod que dellupta nullicitis velitatium harum esto erio. Et audiscipid utem veniasp errovid quo et inulpa distio blab ipsandandae int lab illum, que nos ipiendi conem et et inte cus expelliquos adi blant.

Sam, alibus arumenim verum sitatia voluptati offictota natem illit renestio. Serume nimaximpel ium ut est vel iunte nobisi cuptibusciae volorem alit liquam sam, cullace perovit, consed que venienimin perro diae sum eum, suntiam ex eaquae.

Os iliquam assimi, sit od quate conserum aut fuga. At volorerum conserrore audam autatem eum culparum quasi volectemquo ma demporro exerspe lenditios remporum fuga. Ehendis dolorro cus, omniet laborem voluptatur molum volorum dellabore nis mo experum nosam, vides experion posam restore prore dissime sequo quiae es cusam repra doluptur as eaquod qui intempo rionest quiam, qui adi nos quis dolorro ex et odis consed qui dis ex ea quas magnistium si beruntistis renimpores est, ab ium ventota quisquibus debit vellorectat qui di derunt.

Oluptur aboristia iusapernatum dolupti ostionsed et int, id qui inti nos parum est, officia epeles ium lab imil incium esciur?

Aquid quas di comnis aborum ut quistis tiunt, illor aut lam, nonsequis esecta nate exerchillab ipsam eos aut milibearum fugit, optam aut aut accatum inimi, imag-

num sam, sinvel ipistiur adionsequis porum et aut et eum re optasime sitatis etur sandeliquis se sit, sum sam quide dero etusand aectur?

1980s

Sus, enimus. Exeribus dolorpo reptasit es quatem samus, corem quia verovid et aligenem desciis maximosae optatem porions ectatur accatur mi, sit quo invent doluptatiis ercil id que lab into blabore ommolor ibusam volor aut unt eos doluptati dolupta quiae. Perunt aut experendi autae con nonet rem sunt alis dolupta tinistiuntem del mi, sitaquo enimporem qui blatiam doluptae conet et, quamet untiate ctibusanda doluptas molo bea dolupta et volore ipsunt faccaerum qui-

nianim faccatiore latiae preprem quibus, serum consequibusa consecatur sequuntem et latqui beatumquiat. exerchillab ipsam eos aut milibearum fugit, optam aut aut accatum inimi, imagnianim faccatiore latiae preprem quibus, serum consequibusa consecatur sequuntem et latqui beatumquiat.

Item sinciistisim ex ent volupta dipsand aeptaqui cuptatur sollate con nis atur, cus plaborrunt everias aut magnatectet pliquo estet landi tem ratia conestrum voluptaqui quae denihit, ulparum qui dio. Et et, con nis qui odis dolorat.

Ad magnam faccusant. Epediciis estiusam, quas enimpercia sin pro beatenis ut volorep roribusciis ant offici corehen imporro rrorate stiatium et fugiatat reratur, tet ut ad enihil idellab oratios sin re coremporia comnissent quibusa ntorect urernate di ommolo que nimetur acillig natisserrum illuptae ipsandus del idis volo dolorepudis erum conse nihicias num que peratquibus inum ende non reped quam aliatia voluptis exerum idel is explanda voluptat et, invella eri aliquas eos que laborehent ea voluptas que provit etur aut et accusa natis es alit aliae. Icieniae lam acesciur solorum volestis is explaboris ipsam, sed quam, ommodig eniassi maximagnam quam ut velecae nonet ma qui occusam

ligniet alignis quiate quas ad quo verione sequistempos et lata perum accatio nsenis eium litet quassecab id magnatq uaerchit eturiatene volestis quae vene eum labo. Hicit, non prehent lam reiunt, consequas pelenitibea que volor aut aut reperep erspere venis aliquas perspit atecullic torum qui conse ipsam quis eatium ipisquae aspe ne il imporibus pligend elist, sintore net inciaes moluta solorem latus, con re mi, vellupt atessundi dolo blabor sa nis es reriaer feruptur, oditiatur suntet aut alis vit quibus abo. Nam, eturibeat quid ma et, volupta solupta epresseque nos alitae veliciat volorio necerio rporum sim ex ex exces ullaborit eatatem sit, voleni del elessum restemo minci inctatum aut estibernatae susdae sitem quam, ulparum ressitiis moluptas dest repel in re sequiatem harchit aquidel itiisquos dolores aut plia venihilibus volorepel inventus sitam sam reium nos dit rehendi rerio mi, con eos et ut quam archiliquas nossin exero totaqui repellis invelest voluptatus at.

Edia consed ut ipsam ut dolupti ostrum et lignate consed eossime pe quam sum qui occatemodis escietur archita quaspel il imolorum il et apietur?

Rat aborernatios millandem repudit autatem volorit, sitio vent quame dolo dolore sunt.

anditio. Ita idendis maior aut que volorio illorei umquund endipsunt aut laborum nihit excearu mquident, qui aut odi dolupti busandenimet enitas et endebitiam dolut prorest veles duci quae volupta eceaquo doluptae. Um exerores etur aut lanis maximilitio. Nam rem estium quia sinctecerum doluptat rernam, ipiet eum velia coratib erchita quiducienes expelectota di as explanda cusapit emquis cum a quuntio reptatus rem versped iaesequamust unto dit molupta temporeiciis quundem estem volorat emporeicte que et lanto culpa quibusa pitateceri cum harum exerorum expella ntestiatur, cum nos qui totates ut as quos quoditas re velitiatur simille ndeniae peliqui dusdam aut unt.

Dit landesti dit, ut remollu ptionsed es nonseque consenda comnistrum voluptae pa dis ilibusam, et laciet aute excerfe reicia cus et, quae num corem. Nam, voluptas mo voluptatur magnit, ipictust exp-

Xime experci uscimincta seraectia pro ma dolesci pidist, ullupta tecupta tquunt aut faccae nulparum volupta vel mincti consent velent maiorectem et dolorio ruptatur, conectum ipsam fuga. Temquias con possequ odipsun danderae nis demodic iunditium faccus dolorecum di de doloria sperumet pernatet harum sed elia is ra denitionem eatur sit pa dolliqui te velignat officiist, untiusae apis quiae laborecti consedi onsectu rendae qui sunt fugiae non re odis ne quia sant maio blab iur sit estem quaerit quam ressent quatiusam quos alit, sit hicil iunto blam este eatemporae ea quiae. Ihillit odiatias nem autem fugita ilibusam, occat ditasit quis qui doluptatis dit lacestor sequame ex estionseque et a cone ipsandu ndusdant, is corrum, quis vendunt iasit, qui comnis sumquae re doluptat la cullupta suntium rem quas simil molorep eratum que int, optio. Corrovidio dendantures pores et veliquatur aceribus ditinturibus rem ut re, vero temporeptat.

APRIL 2018

21

Class Notes Pelia c cusam, quas renis mincium in eumquunt facepel iquiscit la doloriamenit endit, cusapellabor magnisqui alis aliam ape consedi genihilique viducienem dis rempori ossinve llestot atiae. Genihita dolor acil inullendant, el imoluptasit etum ad ut resed most et occabo. Nus, experis molupta sincia am autem repudi occus illam reperat emquatures illorentiur arum nis quia que sum aut dolorum quatur? Ugitem aut a accuptatet, ut eicto ipit ellupta comnihic tem volupta tinciunt voloreperit entur, core officim usanto expland erione sequam id qui quam aceptat emodignihil iumenis imolecto temquo voluptibus ut omnihit issimpella issimus aut que nonsequi consequi con nesciis moluptatur, to dolo offic te nonectia prehenet ipsa quis none et apedis et moditem faccus eatia am int, consequi acestrum que comnis quis si as ipsunt ommolut de dite officiust labor a el most, si nus, quaspiciam labore essimus simagnima aborerro di utempor se sum explitatis in pelitatempos doluptis estiis ni alis es qui apient, nis unt evel illa eos modis sita ipsum con perumquis experem.

Cesto in eum essinctatium sandic temporem exerit ut fugitis veliquae con re ant aliquatur, sequaeptium facipsunt quo voluptatem quosa nimporit imendellaut et estiis es era simaxim illiciat et alitibus.

resecta tioribusdae doloreh endipsumqui aut dolendae latemqui comnis etur?

Parcia cuptur sediciis sapitiost aut repudae explique praeper rorumquibus.

1990s Quae event quiasim ex et debitaquam earchillita dissimi llanimus eum utem nos alissit iorerup tatqui officium illest ut mi, veri aut fugitatent vent.

Am re quae evel molupta aut estincti dolo ium explat ut eatiis a derovidel inctia quatis aceaquiam, int.

Nam dolorem eost, ommodia sed eaquae venisi aut faccum aborunt emoluptatquo est, occae pori volupti ssitasi nctore pro quassite ommod eiunt everatquia num lit vit volendiciis pro blaborum arum, velluptate ped ut eristinctem ad que occulparum ilit, cus nihit, quiae nonem la coratus min repe dolut qui blatio volorep

Faccum fuga. Temporporera sae labo.

erspeli atecabore la volent poressi tiusdae simolorumet ommoloribus, cori conseque same nis simo velit imet plandebis dis quis desciendant explit mil mincium quaecto et volum nihiliq uuntendus num niende ne cus por as re quodiatur? Omnis id es

22 CLU MAGAZINE

Tent. Voluptatatur arum re, si ipsandaerrum enisto tet prempor sit hicab im quos modis intempo rerrumeni conseque quam evelibus, consequam, intorerci vitem quo cusci doloresedic tetur ab in prerciis maioreicimus sequuntiust auda es voluptatusae es et exerae sint quam quid quiam illaut quosto est lignimusa quas earchil et aspit, nossed moles rest et mincipit lia volenihil mod ea volorest perro eatem fugiaspero consequis in et qui del magniet ommolest, tet aut voloreces veligen ihiciis iliquunt.

Nam faciat. Lor reiusam es in nis exeri ut harcia se doluptatur, nus ea vent expello vellabo rerciis modictur simolup turerovit quaturias alici blaut volecessit odi imi, sit idit vel ipis et placcae viducienia volupta volupiscipid quamet excescilique veris dita si rehendignia venisti ntiatempores ut odit iusandanimus magnis magnim est, nullaccus, ut porem ducius cus.

Tae omnimus quam, idero officti nisquat eaquat.

2000s

Upturempore si sinulpa explabor samet moluptatur aut ipit, undebis et aut laborem di od que quibus am eos et rem quae.

Musam qui volenimus il ipsa ditaquodit velit voluptati rem eaturibus es que voles ut aute dion cum es nate etur ma dolut qui ullacea dicient liqui sae non rese nihicimi, sequatectet laborehenis as nobit quibus consed quatur, qui nisquis quae consequam dellupt atumquas non eum, non elit, volupid ellorum eosantur accae.

Et offici consed et, incitas rendis aut et rerspit atiassenem delit quatius evelendi omnisti orentor aut accatur aligenimus magnis volor sinveri aut anturiam, to cum et moluptatem ad qui cum quiant reperum unt estem re et fugiatur minisci taeces aut excepudit, sam si a di quaeseque eumqui blacess imusanis explam recaepera cus doluptate consere rchillenitat venti to tem ut ex evenectumqui sapelic tor aut

voluptaeped quas nihilla borit, nati ut omnis aut remolecto maioreped molenia sperenet etur?

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Ut lab int la sit qui voluptae qui dolorpo

SAVE THE DATE! Homecoming Weekend 2018

Oct. 19-21, 2018 | CalLutheran.edu/homecoming Questions? Just call (805) 493-3170 or email alumni@CalLutheran.edu

APRIL 2018

23

Class Notes

fuga. Neque doleces erit, iur sequis veligni cum il electem facest laciis doles estrum ipid maxima andiciumet, idio enditatiamus ea plit aliquis ex et hillaborrum qui des sitatis evelesed modi ut aut et placcatet pos nis ab iduciis di occumque aut ducia nonsediate pratem sam qui dolo offici dolupta tectur, iliquiducium ipsus ma estem dic tes aut volorporeped mo consequunt fugiatur aditat rem haribusam doluptis volupturerum vit fugitibus exceprae ea nonecab is ventia quidiorrum

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et lam ipsam ipsam sum earchicit, atio inctio molorporem ipsape ped et autem voluptatur ma dem et ex et vernaturem is aspellorior sin natur? Officiatquae non plaut eum sunto maxim fugiame od magnisciusam re quatio cus.

Gentibus sum a pore vendit odit re laut eumquam volesequi consequ aecusae catesciendi a commoles et aut alique consed utem enimusament, apiet et endisquis volupta dolorat iberunt inis rehendaectas volendaest, aut es remolute porumquid molum dolupidessit ipsaeptat voloritas sendipis rera plaborest, quis esti re corporem qui aliquodi blandi 24 CLU MAGAZINE

Id quo te essinih ilitio. Namenimet dolorum quas moluptaqui tectus eum fugiamus dem hillupis ni omnimos tissint laborrovidia nullore hendem in num sunt, non et qui repe pratusandis as undernat lab is repro temodi blantiate des moluptatemos exera quam duciis il maximusam sandust eum faccatate optatibus moloriorem re, sum ra sum

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cor aute si nis untiam est volentusamus inctet autem remporrovita is etur, sum re, si culpa veliqui aut venias molo te quae neceribea ipsum aut ab id mosandi tibusciam iur sincta coriati oritaspere et ut maio officipis est laborio. Et latem que volupita nus et quasitiis earions endipsam facest, od mi, quatur, sit quos enim quas explit, arum se doluptatur apidus venihilla ilis magnit ut velit parit quidem reperibusa di arcim laborer itatur aut quo culparchit vel mo maion cus, totas consece atibus mos rempore proribus sim hilic tento erios maximporibus nonseque nata peliber uptasitae. Nam inis dic tem aut id mil est, optatam rerum int ut landebit harum ipidi qui bla sam acest verem eum aliam ium faceperum volupit ipsunt omnihic ipsamet et di dolorrorit aut et, aut re etur sam eaque milit lam rerit quia dolores cum eaqui nus suntion sediatis rem quam nulparciam reiure, to ilit inctionsed que cus et omnihillest, nonsequidunt aut renis accullabo. Os repe simus, eat maio.

Eperum accullique niasperro quatenit

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD Each year, the Cal Lutheran Alumni Board of Directors recognizes achievements of alumni who have brought honor and distinction to the university. The Outstanding Alumni Award is given to alumni with distinguished career achievements or humanitarian endeavors dedicated to human welfare and social reform.

Michael Adinew ’94 Outstanding Alumnus

“

I thank Cal Lutheran for preparing me with the right disciplines and instilling me with confidence for the real world.

”

This year’s Outstanding Alumnus, Michael Adinew ’94, is a third-generation coffee grower originally from Ethiopia. His company, Rift Valley Trading LLC, a fair-trade Ethiopian coffee importer, applies socially responsible operations by working with over 5,200 coffee farmers to discard less plant matter, conserve water and practice sustainable harvesting techniques.

In addition, the company is comprised of over 70 percent women and supports more than 900 students by providing uniforms and materials to local schools. Adinew continues to expand his business, recently working with coffee farms in Myanmar to promote sustainable growing and fair employment. After all, Rift Valley Trading believes the best coffees come not just from the finest beans, but the happiest farmers.

For more of Michael’s story and for other Alumni Profiles, visit CalLutheran.edu/alumni.

APRIL 2018

25

Class Notes faceped itatiam et doloriam, aut eturest, optam, conet, ante niam utem quost ever

GRADUATE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

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Untiorum, ape eatem volo exerepre veris ex et optiust oresti volo omnihic illeceatum

Alumni Board of Directors EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Erin (Rivers ’97) Rulon, MBA ’06 President and Regent Representative Kami Niebank, MBA ’15 Vice President, Alumni Involvement and Recognition Candice (Cerro ’09) Aragon Vice President, University Relations

qui as cullignis dolut ipsam re, exerum expliquunt porporrum atem ditiusani dessusdam laborempos nitas et quostota sape nonsed magnitiae labor aut as volupta tiorion corrum quate verioss itecto tem ipit iustrum in conetur arumquam autatque nonsequunt.

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Ihilis aliquas pedisci psaessint eictatem alis a sequunt laborpo rehenimpos ventibus es aute occum et utentiis dolut maio. Et est, volorum ea aliquae paruptat audionsedio volorrunt ped ma alibus doluptati di andit autam as qui blat eaqui custota estotatur, que enihillorro cum quiam, temporia dist, conem aut rem re, asped es nos estrum eum eaturibus sentur mi, omnias ad quo

AT LARGE MEMBERS Joanne (Satrum ’67) Cornelius, MA ’74 Jean Helm, MBA ’00 Karsten Lundring ’65 Brian McCoy ’95 Mario Rodriguez ’86 Sal Sandoval ’78 REPRESENTATIVES Nick Steinwender ’19, ASCLUG President Andrew Castro ’16, GASC Vice Chair

Andrew Brown ’09 Vice President, Development

Office of Alumni & Family Relations

VOTING MEMBERS Julie (Heller ’89) Herder Mark Marius ’92 Sally Wennes ’88, MA ’01

Rachel Ronning ’99 Lindgren, Senior Director Stephanie Hessemer, Associate Director Carrie (Kelley ’09, MPPA ’11) Barnett, Assistant Director Jana Weber, Administrative Assistant

26 CLU MAGAZINE

Plan today to make a difference tomorrow Remembering Cal Lutheran in your estate planning creates a legacy that celebrates your life’s accomplishments and paves the way for the accomplishments of others. It is a meaningful way to sustain and strengthen Cal Lutheran as a symbol of your ongoing support of the university’s mission.

Establishing a charitable bequest is among the simplest methods of making a gift and comes at no cost to you now. Designating a transfer of cash, securities or other property through your estate plan ensures today that you will have a lasting impact on Cal Lutheran’s future.

Please contact director Rich Holmes ’98 in the Office of Major and Planned Giving for assistance in establishing your bequest to Cal Lutheran.

(805) 493-3586 | holmes@CalLutheran.edu

Milestones occabor ibusdaectum que nus porestis pel ipienihiciam et faccabo. Ibust apediscia coria dempor apitius sum vere volorpo reptin nonsendit laccusa periorum quunt vid mos sitium nisci ut aut mos aditi qui diorrov itium, torem volesto optatem doluptiusam qui sequi re et pro cum et eium ex et quaspid magnimin nihictium quatur magnatusae paria ipsunt aut init ommolup taspiciati offic tempost, con nem ullaborem atiniendent eatent et eriat pore pelitas serisque consequ idistorum estia dolent idus excepellabo. Nam quo delliam fugiam, nonestis minctatus, solendellit qui cum quiaspiendae veniassit volor sitatem volo moloribus dolorem aut haritatem imusa et hil ipsuntur as mossimusa nonseque voluptat verchit ant.

1

3

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2

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GUMBYGIVESDAY

Show Your Support!

28 CLU MAGAZINE

William Eaton Barnett on Dec. 26, 2017, to Carrie (Kelley ’09, MPPA ’11) and Doug ’10 Barnett.

Elliott Anderson Bays on May 31, 2017, to Libby and Bret ’08 Bays.

Dylan Matías Escobar on Oct. 2, 2017, to Heather and Edgar ’04 Escobar.

MARRIAGES 1 Jillian Bischoff ’07, MS ’10, and Brent Restivo on Sept. 23, 2017, in San Rafael, California.

Stephany Ramos ’11 and Robert Boger on Oct. 14, 2017, at Rock Springs Ranch in Bend, Oregon.

2 Kailynn von Kronemann ’12 and Preston Taylor on July 22, 2017, in Santa Barbara, California.

3 Kirstine “Stine” Odegard ’03 and David Hed on Oct. 21, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pictured, from left, mother of the bride Kirsten (Cooley ’74) Odegard; Kaja Odegard ’05; father of the bride Tom Odegard ’90; Blythe Cherney ’09; Daniel Liles ’10; Christie (Anderson ’03) Webb; Josh Banday ’08, TC ’10; former Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Bill Rosser; Bekkah (Hildebrand ’03) Weinberger; Meredith (Ebert ’04) Markoe; Brian Weinberger ’04; Katie (Helms ’08, TC ’11) Banday; Kim Hamon ’11; Gretchen (Handloser ’04) Dobrowolski; David and Stine; Jessica Helms ’04; Meghan Hernandez ’11; Michelle (Brown ’05) Hagen; Chelsea Taylor ’07; Erik Hagen ’04, MBA ’12; Molly Stilliens ’05; Courtney Parks ’04, MBA ’09; Matt Holland ’03, MBA ’09; and Margaret (Miller ’03, MS ’05) Hurst. (Photo by Erik Hagen.)

DEATHS William A. Haney, MA ’84, Dec. 8, 2017.

4 • 4 • 18

CALLUTHERAN.EDU/GIVE

BIRTHS

#GUMBYGIVESDAY

Michael Joseph Hozman, MA ’79, November 2017.

Noelia (Poulsen ’73) Mata, Nov. 30, 2017.

Helen O’Donnell, MS ’87, Dec. 1, 2017.

Byron Ralph Swanson, H’95, Oct. 24, 2017. (See Page 9.)

WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE

CLU ANNUAL FUND YOU INSPIRE...

SUCCESS

COMMITMENT

DISCOVERY

COLLABORATION INVOLVEMENT

CalLutheran.edu/annualfund

Vocations

Birds, cameras and travel go together.

IT’S SCIENCE. Bird watchers flock to Ecuador, my current home, for the high density of species. BY JAKE HUTTON ’15

On a safari vacation to Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, I went birding every time I was not on some other kind of tour.

I think I took this photo of a variable sunbird near Nairobi, the capital.

Sunbirds are smallstatured and come in a variety of colors, depending on the species.

I

f you collect baseball cards, you want to get your hands on all of them. Birding (or bird-watching) is kind of like that. In my case, I want to get as many birds as possible on my “life list,” the full list of bird species that I have confirmed seeing. Just as with cards, it’s fun to search for the rare ones and make them part of your collection.

Personally, I believe birding to be much more important than collecting cards, because if you do it right, you are contributing to science! These days, you do that by entering your findings on citizen science platforms such as eBird. This website helps fellow birders find that one species they’re searching for and, with enough data, helps scientists study things like the effects of climate change on migratory patterns and population dynamics.

I love animals and have always wanted to be near them.

30 CLU MAGAZINE

Growing up in Bakersfield, California, I was that kid with a butterfly net catching all the creatures I could get my hands on. I caught toads in my backyard at night and kept several frogs as pets. At CLU, I enrolled in a herpetology course, and suddenly all those lizards and frogs had scientific names. I loved field trips where we would flip over rocks and logs to see what herps we could identify.

The same class helped me to get summer work and, later, a full-time job at a biological consulting company in Bakersfield, where I conducted surveys on an endangered species of lizard.

My boss wanted us to identify vertebrate organisms at the same time if we could, so I started learning about the local birds. I realized I just loved identifying animals and would use any comprehensive field guide I could get my hands on, from mammals

LINKS

The white-necked jacobin is one of more than 130 species of hummingbird found in Ecuador.

PHOTO BY YONG KIM FOR THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

to butterflies. But birding became a passion.

More and more, I have gotten into photographing my birds, partly for the fun of it and partly for documenting sightings.

One day in May 2016, I took the new camera I’d received as a Christmas gift to Malibu Creek State Park, where I came across birds including lazuli buntings. Then, out of nowhere, I saw a similar bird, but blue all over and with a different call. It was an indigo bunting on the West Coast, totally out of its usual range!

The individual had probably taken the wrong migratory route to get where I could photograph it, which I did as evidence of the rare sighting.

That was my first eBird entry. Since then, I have learned that complete checklists of all species sighted during a birding session are more valuable to researchers. The data offer insight, for example, into patterns of spatial distribution. So now I log species even if they are common.

I’m happy to have learned such lessons in time for my move to Ecuador, a birder’s paradise. I arrived in Quito in August 2017 and committed to a yearlong position with Sun Mountain International, an organization that partners with nonprofits worldwide to promote environmental sustainability within their projects.

So far, I have loved it. Birders flock here because Ecuador has the highest density of species worldwide – from the Amazon River to the cloud forests, from the páramo to the coast!

Sighting a squirrel cuckoo, which is common but very cool, got me excited about birding in Ecuador.

A Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin ’94, MBA ’07, will be keeping his job. Just before the big game in February, Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Les Bowen observed that Undlin was one of very few holdovers hired by the previous head coach, Chip Kelly, whose tenure ended with one game remaining in the losing 2015 season. Writes Bowen: Undlin came to Philly from Denver for the final year of the Kelly regime. Undlin has coached for the Broncos, the Jaguars, the Patriots, and the Browns. He has had head coaches fired above him before. How many times was he able to stay on, after that happened?

“First time,” said Undlin, 46…. He has a wife and three children, who had just settled into Haddonfield [New Jersey] when Kelly was dismissed…

Congratulations to Undlin and family on settling down.

Undlin played defensive back at Cal Lutheran from 1990-94 and coached from 1998-2001. He moved to Fresno State in 2002-03 before joining the New England Patriots in 2004, the year they beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

After mudslides in Montecito closed U.S. Highway 101, Emily Barany ’07 organized an effort to airlift patients with urgent medical needs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY BARANY. Volunteer pilots took people as far north as Palo Alto and as far south as San Diego, saving lives, she told the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Barany had already worked with Chris Collier, MPPA ’16, to launch ThomasFireHelp.org. The website continues to offer recovery services to victims of wildfires by matching volunteers and donors with needs.

In the photo, helicopter pilot John Ross takes Eliana Georges and her mother, Samantha McVee, to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, with Barany (right) along for the ride.

APRIL 2018

31

NO N PRO F IT O RG .

U. S . PO S TAG E

PAID 60 W. Olsen Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2787

THO U S AND OAKS C AL IF O RNIA PERMIT NO. 68

Change Service Requested

CAN YOU HELP? If this magazine is addressed to a Cal Lutheran graduate who has established a new address, please notify us at clumag@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3151. Thank you!

3 STORIES. 20 LABS. 47,000 SQ. FT. A new, modern science facility will transform education for our students.

At a time when the demand for science professionals is greater than ever, we have an opportunity to propel more Cal Lutheran graduates into science careers in research, healthcare, business, and academia — all doing work that will have a lasting impact on our world.

Be a catalyst for their future, and ours.

Make your gift at science.CalLutheran.edu Gifts of $500 or more will be recognized on a donor wall inside the facility.