Pat Savoie Volunteers in Tanzania

October 2010 Pat Savoie Volunteers in Tanzania By Pat Savoie After thinking about it for years, I finally signed up for a four-week stint with Global Volunteers to help teach English in Tanzania, Africa. What a great experience it was. Global Volun- teers, with headquarters in St. Paul, is not associated with any political or re- ligious group and has volunteer programs all over the world. However, the school I was assigned to in Pom- mern was run by The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. Wow— in such a foreign, distant place and yet not so far from my roots. On arriving in Dar-es-Salaam, I met the three other women volunteers (three of us teachers, one a nurse) and our Team Leader, the Tanzanian Coun- try Manager, Edward Mgeni and Mo- hamed Kassim, our Driver. The next morning on our way Iringa we passed through Mikumi National Park, where baboons stared at us from the side of the road, an elephant held up traffic, and lots of wildlife seemed unconcerned about the invasion of people and cars. In Iringa we got our green. The women often carried a Kobe Bryant. last shot at the internet and spent a plastic pail balanced on their heads, a The secondary school I worked in comfortable night at the ELCT Church baby slung in a wrap on their backs, had students whose ages varied from and Hospice. and a toddler or another young child 14 to 20 years old depending on their Pommern, not on any map I have following along. All were dressed in previous preparation. I worked with a seen, is only about 35 miles from the amazingly colorful African pat- nice young man who was a very com- Iringa, but it took us about two very terned fabric. petent and dedicated teacher, but he bumpy hours to get there. The village All the people were black, black. No had some serious handicaps. consists of two boarding schools and shades of brown in this area. And One class of 43 students and another clusters of red adobe houses and fields their great smiles and beautiful eyes of 52 had five textbooks, which the of grain and corn, all tended to by always offered a warm greeting. Their teacher plucked from the “library” and slim bodies and the elegant bone struc- hand. The earth was deep red and the Continued on page 7 grass and trees a brilliant emerald ture of their faces reminded me of Alan Lamson Goes Into the DMZ Despite the Danger, It Was Worth the Trip

By Alan Lamson water resources, on the 38th parallel, which happens to be the exact location “You’re going into the DMZ. Isn’t of the DMZ. that dangerous right now?” Ms. Moon arranged to have us met by It was true that tensions between the a young college student, Jung Rok An, two Koreas had heightened consider- and his father who have started a DMZ ably since a North Korean submarine Ecology Research Institute to teach had evidently sunk a Korean warship, high school students about the special Cheonan, and 46 sailors drowned after flora and fauna in the DMZ, an area that the ship went down. But I very much has been mostly uninhabited for nearly wanted to visit the DMZ and so did sev- 60 years. eral others, including English Professor They met us at our hotel and drove us Jane Hallinger with whom I first visited into the Civilian Control Area where Korea in 2007. there are a few farms but not many peo- On that visit we had looked through ple. telescopes into the DMZ and North One of the places we stopped at is the Korea from an tourist observation point site of an annual eagle migration from near the demilitarized zone, a strip of Siberia and Mongolia during the winter land about 2.5 miles wide and 160 miles months. Several thousand eagles nest long that has served as a buffer between in this wetland area of the Jangdan North and South Korea since the end of Peninsula. the Korean war. From left--Korean soldier, Dr. Nam, I asked Jung Rok An how that many This time we received special permis- David Carle, Alan, Jane Hallinger eagles were able to survive in this area. sion to visit an elementary school (only and Janet Carle visited the DMZ. He said that the eagles feast on the en- 30 students) in the only inhabited vil- Photo courtesy of Julia Kim. trails of slaughtered pigs that the locals lage in the DMZ, Taesungdong, a farm- leave for them. No wonder they con- ing village of about 300 people, all of Pasadena. Jane Soloway, who started tinue to spend their winters here. whose families owned land in this area the pen pal connection, asked us if we Cranes, geese and wild ducks also win- before the Korean War. could distribute T-shirts from Poly for ter in the area. The villagers pay no federal taxes and the students at the school. But a disturbing trend in the area has are exempt from military service. The The day of our visit, June 25th, was full been the proliferation of ginseng farms school had recently begun an electronic of surprises. Before visiting Korea, I because ginseng is a very profitable pen pal connection with 4th grade had asked Ms. Moon, our contact with crop. The problem is that ginseng classes at Polytechnic elementary in the city of Paju—now a Friendship City plants are protected from the sun with with Pasadena— if shade cloth that discourages migrating we could visit birds from landing. In certain areas, we some of the eco- saw acres of ominous looking black logical areas near shade cloth. the DMZ. Two The pristine ecological areas we vis- members of our ited are also scarred by miles of barbed party, David and wire and observations posts, one of Janet Carle, retired which we visited. Observation Post forest rangers from #1, the first of scores of military obser- the Mono Lake vation posts line the entire length of the Students at Gunnae Elementary perform at the opening area, are working DMZ. Soldiers constantly scan the of Dr. Yung Nam’s Dental Clinic. on a book about Continued on Page 6 Photo Courtesy of Gunnae Elementary. 2 Did a Beautiful Woman Really Convince Harry Kawahara To Retire from PCC?

In our last edition of “Staying Con- Long Beach, this was the nected,” Fay Chandler, formerly of the most beautiful woman in the English Division, wrote an intriguing ar- entire galaxy. Can you be- ticle about some unique experiences she lieve that? Right then and had in the classroom at PCC. She also there I said to myself, Harry, mentioned one you are well over the hill and special humor- you need to think seriously ous moment about your retirement.” while teaching And sure enough, I did re- English in Ro- tire. It was a great decision. mania, after I thoroughly enjoyed my her retirement. work at PCC and derived a I recall being lot of satisfaction from my entertained by service, but now that I am re- recollections of tired, I can say without reser- her adventures. vation that I am delighted to It occurred be retired. Harry Kawahara to me that with Please think back to your the large number of PCC retirees, there days on campus. Surely must be an abundance of episodes we there must be incidents that could share with each other, from our happened to you that would years of service in the classroom or in be of interest to us. Consider our different campus work locations that the thousands of human in- would be of interest to others. teractions we had daily with Let me tell you one of mine. I shared colleagues and contacts Check out this picture of Miss Thailand Uni- this at the year end Academic Senate with our myriad of diverse verse 2005, and see if you think this is a young students with a wide array Breakfast upon my retirement in 2005. woman you would remember meeting. “I believe I can tell exactly when I de- of fascinating backgrounds. cided it was time to retire. Shortly be- Think of it as a sharing of manner.” Indeed, it is an award that is fore actually retiring, I was reading the “family stories” within the larger PCC well-deserved. Los Angeles Times and noticed the family. Please give this some serious Bill has been a valued mentor to me photo of a very attractive Asian woman thought. since our time together at PCC. He was with a glittery crown on her head. The Don’t be shy; write up something and an exceptional administrator, and was a caption said she was Miss Thailand Uni- submit it to Mikki Bolliger, our newslet- superb political science professor. His verse—the most beautiful woman in the ter editor. Send your story to Pasadena classes were always filled to capacity entire universe. Then I read the article City College, Retirees’ Association, with students wanting to sit under his in- about her and it stated that she was once 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA formative and insightful tutelage. an international student at PCC. I was 91106. He has also been a most active com- amazed. w w w w w w w munity volunteer. He served as Presi- Out of curiosity, we went back to our I was also very pleased to learn that dent of PLAN (Pasadena Literary Action appointment logs, since we keep those Bill Goldmann was recently recognized Network), on the Board of the Pasadena for our international students. Lo and by the California Retired Teachers Asso- Art League, President of Union Station behold, it turned out that I was the coun- ciation for his excellent service over the (which serves the homeless), the Board selor who had the most contact with her. years as its legislative chair. of Five Acres (which serves abused chil- And you The tribute stated that “at the local, dren), President of the Salvation Army know what? Unbelievably, I could not state and national levels, we have all Board and, of course, President the PCC remember her. The most beautiful benefitted from his extraordinary depth Retirement Association. woman in the whole universe and I could of knowledge about educational issues We are honored and privileged to be not recall her. and his ability to analyze and communi- friends and colleagues of this first class Now this is not Miss Glendale or Miss cate complex issues in an understandable gentleman. 3 An ‘Easy Walk’ Into Eaton Canyon Turned Out To Be A Lot More Challenging Than Expected

By Mikki Bolliger tainly could make an “easy mile and a half walk.” What I learned on this ad- My lungs were burning as I tried to venture was that Bruce and I have very take in enough air to walk the final 20 different definitions for the word yards to reach our destination. The “easy.” muscles in my legs throbbed as I strug- It wasn’t long after we started our hike gled to simply place one foot in front of that we realized this wasn’t going to be the other. I had to keep going; there was an easy walk. The rock-strewn path was no other choice. Turning around was uneven as it wound down into the out of the question, so I had to push for- canyon. “A mile and a half!” Surely we ward because I knew there had to be a went further than that in the last hour. I place to rest if I could just make it guess not. There was plenty of beautiful around the next bend. scenery, but no cabins indicating we Trudging ahead of me were five other were anywhere close to our goal. We all brave souls with sweat pouring down started speculating that the distance their faces as they made the last push to Bruce gave us was as the crow flies. If reach Bruce Carter’s cabin deep in that were the case, we had a lot more Eaton Canyon. Dick Chamberlain, walking to do. Harry Kawahara, Mike Riherd, Hollis And walk we did. We walked and Stewart and my husband, Dave Bol- walked and WALKED. Finally some- liger, figured that the cabin trip sounded one said the cabin was around the next like a pleasant way to spend an after- turn. Thank God! I had visions of lying noon. However, by the end of the day, on the path until someone could flag all of us would definitely use other ad- down a helicopter to air lift me out. Just jectives to describe our adventure. a little further! The last hurdle was to “It’s an easy mile and a half walk,” I cross over a stream on an unsteady remember Bruce saying when he issued board before we could finally rest. stream. Whew! We made it. What a har- his invitation for the retirees’ board to Completely exhausted, I had to sum- rowing experience! As I was congratu- meet for lunch at his cabin. Even though mon every ounce of strength to balance lating myself for making it to the cabin, I knew I was not in the best shape, I cer- on that board and make it over the I was stuck by a horrible realization— we had just walked DOWN into that canyon. Somehow we had to return to the top. Bruce was waiting for us as we crossed over to his property. We all made for the cabin and plopped into the waiting chairs. I don’t know about the others, but it took my breathing 15 min- utes to return to normal. Bruce filled us in on the history of the area before serving lunch. We enjoyed hot dogs that we roasted on sticks in the fireplace and chili that Bruce had prepared. Bruce’s wife Kathy baked some delicious cook- ies that we gobbled up. Everything was delicious. While we were relaxing after the meal, In case you think I tend to exaggerate, take a look at the shot of the trail we Continued on page 5 had to take to make the nice, easy walk to Bruce’s cabin. 4 California Retired Teachers’ Association Honors Bill Goldmann With Top Award The 53,000 member California Retired Pasadena Literacy Action Network) which was Teachers Association recently honored Bill founded to expand literacy programs in the area Goldmann with its highest award. Known as primarily through fundraising and other activi- the Ruth Q de Prida award, it is given annu- ties. He served on the Salvation Army Board ally to a retired teacher who has been heav- (Pasadena) and eventually became its president. ily involved with legislation affecting Bill a board member of Five Acres and chaired retired teachers and an individual who has its Advocacy Committee. He was recently se- contributed to various community service lected as “Volunteer of the Year Award” for Five organizations. Acres. Following his retirement from Pasadena In addition, he was president of the board of City College, Bill served as District Director Union Station Homeless Services. He also for the 44th Assembly District for Assembly served three terms as president of the Pasadena member Dr. Jack Scott. Subsequently, Bill City College Retirees’ Association Board. He served as legislative representative for Divi- continues to serve as a consultant to that group. sion One of the CalRTA, and in that capac- Bill recently turned 82 and still serves as a ity gave progress reports at every member of the Advocacy Committee for Five bi-monthly luncheon and authored a column Acres and as a member of the Government Rela- in each issue of “Chalk Talk.” tions Committee for Union Station Homeless Services. He went on to become the legislative representative for He has served on the board of the Jeanne Ward Founda- Area Eight. He served on the 12- member state legislative tion for the past 20 years. He and was recently selected to board which developed legislative policy for the CalRTA. serve as Grants Chairperson for the Pasadena Arts League. During this time he also presided over numerous legislative Congratulations Bill for you exceptional service not only seminars regarding issues of interest to retired teachers. on behalf of retired teachers but to the entire Pasadena In the last 30 years Bill served as president of PLAN, (the community. Did the Retirees Make It Out of the Canyon? ing oxygen stations along this steep, wind- back to the top somehow. Continued from page 4 ing trail? Yes, I finally made it to the top, but I people started making comments about the Although my husband preferred to walk thought I was going to die from exhaustion. trip back. We even joked about trying to get faster, he felt guilty about leaving me be- The men made it up a lot faster than I did. airlifted out. They were kidding; I wasn’t. hind. So instead, he decided it was his duty If you ask them about the trip, they probably Believe me, I would have given anything to encourage me. “Come on, keep going, wouldn’t describe it the same way. How- if I could have waited for the weekly mule you’re doing fine. Don’t stop; just keep ever, we do agree on one thing—it really train to lumber up the steep trail with me moving.” Was he kidding! I was planning was quite an adventure. And I know one plopped on top of one of those sure-footed to lie down and die, and he was telling me I thing for certain—if I want to enjoy Eaton animals. Bruce informed me that the mule was doing fine. Canyon again, I’ll just look at my pictures. train owners charge by the pound. I didn’t I kept looking up, hoping for a glimpse of care if they charged by the ounce, I was the lot where we busy calculating how big a hit our retire- parked the car, but I ment account would take if I negotiated a all I could see was deal. Then Bruce gave me the bad news— that path going the mule train only carries goods not people. straight up. I There was no choice but to hike out. couldn’t help think- After saying our goodbyes, we hit the trail ing of those people and this time we trudged uphill. I told the who decided to hike others to walk at their own pace and not down into the Grand worry to that I was lagging behind. Believe Canyon only to real- me, this was not how I visualized this ad- ize like I had earlier venture. Why hasn’t anyone thought of hav- that they had to get

5 . . . More About Alan’s DMZ Trip

Continued from page 2 to help set up his clinic; all this accom- the school. Imjin River and beyond for signs of any plished in just one week. As part of the Then came the treat of the day, a spir- activity by North Korea. open celebrations, we were entertained ited drum performance by most of the It was at this observation post that by students playing classical music on students at the school. Julia Kim took a photo of a white crane odd-looking wind instruments that We all sat transfixed by their perform- framed by the ubiquitous barbed wire. looked like oversized flutes. ance, which can be seen at the website Julia is PCC student who is spending Finally, we arrived at Taesungdong of David and Janet Carle: http://paral- her summer as an intern at a ceramics School in the early afternoon of June leluniverse38n.blogspot.com/ We gave museum in the Heyri Art Valley in Paju. 25, a special day for all Koreans since the students a standing ovation and then See her entertaining U-tube video it marks the beginning of the Korean distributed “Panther” T-shirts donated “Summer in Heyri” at: War, and this year is the 60th anniver- by Polytechnic school. After leaving http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw2 sary of the war. the school we posed for pictures near ec8g5Cdg Before arriving at the school, we were the huge South Korean flag that domi- Another surprise was the opening of a stopped at two check points where our nates Taesungdong village and looked dental clinic, sponsored by Dr. Yung passports were collected and perused across at the much taller North Korean Nam from Glendale, at Gunnae elemen- one more time. flag about 400 meters away. tary school, a small school of about 50 At our final checkpoint, an armed Ko- Someone asked the soldier if this spot students in the Civil Control Area. rean soldier, who spoke excellent Eng- was dangerous. He replied, “They can Dr. Nam had been trying for months lish, having gone to school in the U.S., shoot you from this distance.” I instinc- to get permission to open his clinic at boarded our van and escorted us to the tively moved back a couple of Taesungdong Elementary in the DMZ school; he remained with us during our steps.How ironic the mention of shoot- but neither the United Nations nor time there. ing in this peaceful farming village North Korea would give permission— Soon after we were introduced to where the children study, play drums, for security reasons they said. the principal and some of the teachers, go on skiing and hiking holidays, and But Dr. Nam persisted and was able including a young American from Wis- send information about themselves to to get the support of a local dental group consin, Nicole, who taught English at their new friends in Pasadena. Write to Us; We’re Waiting If you enjoy reading about the trips of other retirees, you can bet everyone would like to hear about your travels. If you haven’t been travel- ing, how about letting everyone know what you are doing these days. Sometimes we lose track of our friends after they’ve retired, so it’s always nice to find out what’s keeping them busy. You can send a typed copy to Mikki Bolliger c/o PCC Retirees As- sociation, 1570 E. Colorado Boule- vard, Pasadena, CA 91106 or you can e-mail your story and photos to Mikki Bolliger at [email protected]. We are waiting to hear from you. Students at Taesungdong Elementary pose for a photo wearing their We’ll be checking the mailbox every Panther T-shirts from Polytechnic School in Pasadena. day. Photo courtesy of David and Janet Carle

6 . . . . Pat Savoie’s Adventure Continues Continued from page 1 own bedding, pillow, etc. We had run- spent my last few days in the Hospice ning water, but no hot water, and al- teaching the preschoolers some songs. dispersed among the students, then most every night the generator turned And I got to see some of the workings read and discussed a short chapter as the lights on from 7-10.p.m. Mama of a small city with variety of stores 10 to 12 students clustered around Toni (a woman gets her first son’s and people, some dressed like Euro- each book. name) cooked simple but good food peans, most in the African mode, and After class, books were collected over an open fire and on her newly even a few Maasai, always in their dis- and marched back to the library. The bought hot plate. tinctive traditional dress, the men still students were eager and pleasant, wore We had a really pleasant group and a carrying machetes, but the simplicity school uniforms, lived in dormitories very nice Director. We volunteers got of the quiet and primitive countryside (think summer camp) and every day to take a Safari on our own one week- of Pommern was my favorite. ate the same menu of a porridge (igali) end to Ruaha National Park—two days Before returning home I flew into and beans cooked in huge barrels over seeing herds of zebras, giraffes, ele- exotic Zanzibar for a couple of days. a fire. phants, impala, some lions, baboons, Check out www.globalvolunteers.org. We volunteers lived in what had and flocks of birds. Lovely. I had a beautiful experience in Tanza- been the Mission House—quite nice Before the last week I got some sort nia and plan to sign up for more of though run down. We brought our of bug that sent me back to Iringa, their adventures. where I visited the hospital and then

Please Make a Scholarship Donation You don’t have to wait until the end of the made available for scholarships for deserving school year to make a donation to the Retirees’ students. Our only source for scholarship Association Scholarship Fund; you can donate money is YOU, our members. anytime during the year. The amount doesn’t have to be The Retirees’ Association prides much, anything will help build the itself in giving deserving students fund. You can write a check or simply the help they need to continue their call the PCC Foundation and use your education. With students struggling credit card. You can get a tax deduc- because of the bad economy, it is tion, help a deserving student and earn even more important that money be air miles all at the same time.

7 Retirees Invited on Theatre in London Trip If you’re tired of staying home, a seven-day transportation pass for and you’ve been thinking about the London tube/bus. (Singles will planning an exciting getaway, PCC’s have to pay an $800 supplement.) Theatre in London trip might be just If you have never been to London, what you are looking for. Retirees or if you’ve always wanted to return, have been invited to join trip leaders this trip makes it easy to enjoy ex- Joe Sierra and Amy Ulmer for a ploring the city and its environs. You first-class adventure in London from will have plenty of free time to visit April 15-24, 2011. the British Museum, Westminster The excursion includes eight nights Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, at the 4-star Thistle Marble Arch Harrods and anything else you have near Hyde Park with daily continen- been longing to see. tal breakfast. Participants will get to If you are interesting in joining the see four plays, tour the Old Globe PCC group, you need to contact ei- theatre in London, and take a day ther Joe or Amy and let them know trip to Canterbury Cathedral and as soon as possible. You can e-mail Dover Castle. Amy at [email protected] or The $2,940 cost includes the round call her at (828) 585-7371. Joe can trip flight on Virgin Atlantic, round be reached at [email protected] trip airport transportation in London, or by calling (626) 585-7230. See London in person when you sign up the PCC Theatre in London trip. Keeping In Touch Mike Bloebaum Tells About Life in Grass Valley

Things are going well up here in val in Nevada City. That is Grass Val- Grass Valley. I have returned to my ley’s twin, just three miles away. And original profession and passion of my wife Margaret and I sing in the filmmaking. If you want to see what Sacramento Choral Society and Or- types of things we are doing, you can chestra, which did a concert check out MB2 Commuications’ web tour of China a couple of years ago. site. We’re coming down to Los Angeles I recently did a half hour film on the to take possession of a tiny studio joy of singing called “The Singing condo we bought in a converted down- Life” featuring the world famous town office building, We come down men’s ensemble Chanticleer which so often, we’re tired of being guests was syndicated around PBS— includ- (For those who don’t know much ing KQED. As a result, Chanticleer about Mike’s background, he had a hired us to do a DVD that accompa- very successful professional life be- nies their latest CD “Mission Road.” fore coming to PCC to serve as Dean I have also just completed a one- of the Communications Division. hour film that profiles five young peo- He wrote hundreds of documentaries, ple in our community to whom music and he also co-produced a National is their life. It is called “My Musical Mike and Margaret Bloebaum in Geographic special for PBS which Life” (are you getting a theme here?). Antarctica. Photo from their website. won five Emmy Awards.) I’m on the Board of Directors of up here with a $1 million plus budget. It is nice to hear from retirees who Music in the Mountains, an organiza- And I am head of the judging commit- let us all know that there really is life tion that presents great music festivals tee for the Wild and Scenic Film Festi- after PCC.

8 In Memoriam Remembering Allen Davis By Jo Ann Lee Wheels for 14 years; entertaining as a clown to hospitalized children; Allen Davis, who retired from doing stand-up comedy as the PCC in 1983 after 33 years, passed Judge and the Professor (accompa- away on June 22 after a brief ill- nied by a friend who played the ness. He was 88. piano), at churches and Born in Los Angeles, senior citizen centers. Allen earned his MBA (Allen attended clown from UCLA and taught school to hone the accounting in the Busi- knee-slapping humor ness and Computer Tech- that delighted his for- nology Department from mer colleagues.) 1950 to 1983. He au- He was honored by thored a typewriting key- the Los Angeles Spanish Instructor board skills workbook Dodgers and KTLA- Virginia McCready that was widely received TV for his volunteer by students because the work. He strongly be- Passes Away games and exercises lieved laughter was the were not only fun and interesting best medicine and loved adding to Virginia McCready passed away on but also instructional. Several May 10 in Carlsbad, California. She his large repertoire of jokes schools adopted the workbook. through the years. grew up in Topeka, Kansas — the old- Allen and his wife Virginia en- est of three children. She graduated Besides his wife of 64 years, Allen joyed boating and retired to New- from the University of Iowa. leaves two children, four grandchil- She held various occupations prior to port Beach to pursue their favorite dren, and two great-grandchildren. marrying Jack McCready in 1957. pastime. His love of people was Allen’s good humor and laughter, When Jack died in 1960, she returned shown through his various volun- friendship, generosity, and many kind- to Topeka to earn a degree at Kansas teer activities: delivering Meals on nesses over the years will be missed! University. In 1964, she moved to Pasadena to Judy Fogle Dies Carlen begin teaching Spanish at PCC, and that is where she stayed until she re- Judy Fogle who Friesen tired in 1992. After leaving PCC, she taught German at worked as a residential real estate bro- PCC until her re- Died on ker for more than a decade. In 2007, tirement passed July 4 she moved to Carlsbad to be closer to away. Judy was Carlen Friesen was a familiar face on her son Patrick and his family. well known on campus. He could be seen riding in his Virginia was a patron of the arts, and campus because she was actively maintenance cart as he moved from job she was particularly fond of opera. She to job. A WWII Vet, Carlen died on July was also an avid walker. The family involved in the Academic Senate, 4, 2010 at the age of 85. suggested that memorial contributions serving on numerous committees and Carlen began his career at PCC in could be made to the Alzheimers Asso- subcommittees. 1978 as a custodian. He quickly became ciation—San Diego/Imperial Valley Judy had the distinction of being the a skilled Trades Worker. Carlen retired chapter or the St. Vincent DePaul So- only full-time German instructor at from the college in 1996, and at that ciety c/o St. Philip the Apostle Church for her entire 22 years at Pasadena time he was performing skilled and in Pasadena. City College. semi-skilled building maintenance.

9 Debbie Baisley and Her Furry Friend Anthony When people recall Debbie Baisley, they can’t help but remember her along with her trusty Assistance Dog, Anthony. Debbie began working for the college in 1977 in the Ad- missions and Records Office. She worked in various posi- tions in that department until she retired in 1997 due to her disability. Anyone who dealt with Debbie during her time at PCC will remember her friendly efficiency and her loyal helper Anthony sleeping under her desk or walking beside her wheel chair. Debbie was crushed when Anthony died, but people who believe there are dogs in heaven know for certain that Debbie and Anthony will be together again.

Samuel LaMothe Betty Buckhouse Played Vital Role in Loved Students Computing at PCC Samuel La Mothe started out at PCC as a student then a graduate of Betty Buckhouse passed away on the Dental Laboratory Technology Aug. 5, 2010, just two weeks away from Program in the early 1980s. He served her 87th birthday. as a classroom based tutor and was Betty began working at PCC in 1979, later hired as and she super- the Depart- vised the In- ment Techni- structional cian for the Computing cen- Dental Lab ter from 1982 Elaine Broerman through 1990. Technology She was a quiet Program. Passes Away leader who Samuel was Elaine Broerman began her career at played a vital a dedicated PCC in Admissions and Records in role in the intro- member of the 1965. She moved up the ladder and be- duction of com- staff until he come Assistant Director of Develop- puting to PCC. retired in ment within the External Relations Betty mentored 2000. Anita Bobich said, “Samuel was department. She remained in that posi- many of the current staff in that depart- a lovely human being who loved tion until she retired in 1998. ment—Rodolfo Garnica, Jeanine Jones, working at the college and truly en- People remember Elaine for her happy Brian Packard, Gary Potts and Robert joyed helping our students in his very disposition. Whenever you saw her on Tirapelle. Her son Michael currently special way.” His dedication to stu- campus, she was smiling. works in MIS. dents, faculty and the college was re- Anyone interested in making a memo- Anyone wanting to make a memorial contribution in Betty’s name can donate flected in his care for the laboratory rial contribution in Elaine’s name to the Arcadia Methodist Hospital Foun- and in the way he served the students. should send a donation to the Convales- dation. Samuel passed away in May, 2010. cent Aid Society in Pasadena. 10 CalPers and CalStrs Update for Retirees By Hollis Stewart half. This would suggest that CalSTRS ought to pyramid operators green with envy. They also love to push to have voters think that most pensioners The PCC Retirees’ Association Board heard some have about $134 billion at the end of this year. receive $100,000 or more per year. In fact those good news and not so good news at its last meeting CalPERS had a mid-year fund of $200 billion and a growth rate for the fiscal year to date of 11.60%. people represent only about 1% of all the retirees when Hollis Stewart and Bill Goldmann reported being paid by public pensions. The average on the two retirement funds that affect current em- CalPERS ought to end up with a fund of about $208-9 billion at year’s end. At the fund’s lowest CalPERS retiree draws about $25,000 per year and ployees as well as PCC retirees—CalSTRS and over half draw $16,000 or less per year. CalPERS. point in June 2009, the CalPERS investments had dropped to $181 billion from a high of $253 billion Bill Goldmann said that teachers retiring from Anyone following the woes of the two retirement CalSTRS would have an average higher than the funds in the media have to be wondering whether on Dec. 31, 2007. Rob Feckner, the president of the CalPERS CalPERS retirees, but they certainly weren’t the the money they count on is going to run out. ones making the big draws from the fund. The very good news for retirees drawing pensions Board, said at a meeting that I attended in May, “Your retirement is SAFE and SECURE. We can Those opposed to decent public pensions never and other benefits from CalSTRS and CalPERS— mention that employees invest in the pension funds your pensions from both funds are secure now and weather downturns and come out ahead in the long run.” So, we can rest easy but we still have work to every pay check. To hear them tell it, you would well into the future. Not only are both funds recov- think that taxpayers are paying full costs of the pen- ering from the losses they suffered during the re- do. The work he refers to is keeping an eye on Marcia sions and we just ride along like a tramp on a freight cession, but any future problems are contractually train, waiting for that big pie in the sky. covered by the State of California. Fritz and her colleagues at the California Founda- tion for Fiscal Responsibility. They have given up So, again we must be as active as possible in re- This means that you and I do not have to worry tirees’ groups, senior centers, our churches and so- about our pensions but we do need to be active to for now on floating an initiative to amend the Cal- ifornia Constitution and slash the public pensions cial clubs to inform people about what is really protect current and future educational employees happening with public pensions and to urge them and other public workers so that they can have a fu- that we have invested in for our working lives. However, now they, along with their conservative to contact their state legislative representatives to ture without poverty after they retire. oppose any detrimental legislation aimed at Cal- The CalSTRS fund, the money that pays our ben- business friends and politicians, are attempting to push through legislation to damage the retirement STRS and CalPERS or any public employee pen- efits and earns money to keep on paying, stood at sion funds. $129 billion on June 30, 2010 and it grew at a rate system. They hype stories about the problems in Bell, California and other places where seeming Although current retirees are safe, this is still our of approximately 7% the first half of the year and fight because teachers and classified educational is expected to do that as well or better in the second criminal conspiracies have been worked to draw ex- cessive pensions through schemes that would make employees have always been in the forefront of ef- forts to build a better, more prosperous society where no one is forced to live in economic insecu- Board of Directors for 2010 rity in old age. Elvio Angeloni Altadena Response Needed Now Joseph Barnes Pasadena Pasadena City College has a very poor institutional memory, and Mikki Bolliger, newsletter editor Burbank an inspection of the campus archives suggests that there is a lot of Dorothy Burns Pasadena work to be done. To remedy this problem, the Human Resources Bruce Carter Monrovia department has prepared a questionnaire that will now be given to everyone retiring from the college. Well, that’s fine for the future, Alice Corey Altadena but what about those who have already retired? Dick Chamberlain, secretary Altadena The Retirees’ Association would like to offer you the chance to Al De Ponte, 2nd vice president Pasadena have your contributions noted in the college archives. (Below is the information that will be filled out by retiring employees.) Please Kay Dabelow Cambria take the time to respond to items 1-3 listed below. Send your re- Bill Goldmann, past president La Canada sponses to the Pasadena City College Retirees’ Association, 1570 Harry Kawahara, president Altadena E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91106. Those of you who prefer to respond online can check out the Human Resource department on the Alan Lamson, web editor Pasadena PCC website. There will be a link titled Retirees’ form. Please be Terry Marsala, treasurer Pasadena sure to respond. Mary McGuire Pasadena ______Every employee who works at the college makes an impact on the Marion Murphy, membership/historian Arcadia students and the institution. Sometimes the contributions that you Skip Morkisch Pasadena think are important may not be the ones Bessie Radcliff-Darden Pasadena acknowledged by the administration. Sylvia Ryan Sierra Madre w We are interested in knowing what contributions you made during your time at PCC that you would like to see noted in the Mike Riherd Altadena college’s archives. Pat Savoie Altadena Sally Shuster Pasadena wWhat makes you the proudest when you think of the years Joe Spiro Sierra Madre you spent at PCC? Hollis Stewart, 1st vice president Los Angeles wWhat do you want people to say about you when they recall Marj Vickers La Canada your service to the college? News About PCC Dr. Mark Rocha Named PCC President

Dr. Mark W. Rocha became the new struck for the occasion. superintendent-president of Pasadena Former presidents Dr. City College in an official investiture Jack Scott and Dr. Jim ceremony on Sept 15. Dr. Rocha was Kossler were on hand to selected to replace Dr. Lisa Sugimoto, offer their congratula- who served in that position while the tions. board of trustees conducted a search Dr. Rocha’s appoint- for a permanent president. ment came after a na- Although, Dr. Rocha began working tionwide search that on campus in July, the ceremony on included campus candi- Sept. 15 made it all official with the date forums, and meet- presentation of a special medallion ings with campus and community groups. The board also solicited extensive input from faculty, staff, students and community members. After considering Dr. Rocha’s extensive ex- Drs. Jim Kossler and Jack Scott attended the perience and his com- investiture ceremony to offer their congratulations mitment to student and advice to Dr. Mark Rocha,who will follow in success, the board said their footsteps. Photo by Kenny Kimura members were “highly impressed with Dr. Rocha’s collegial of West Los Angeles College. He teamwork approach at West Los Ange- brings extensive experience working les College that resulted in great in a large, multi-college district. progress in the areas of enrollment, The new president received his budget and external grants.” The Ph. D in English from USC; his mas- board voted unanimously to appoint ter’s degree from Cal-State Fullerton, him as PCC’s new president. and his bachelor’s degree from Vil- After the ceremony, Dr. Rocha Dr. Rocha has more than 20 years of lanova. showed off his official medallion to experience in higher education, includ- In 1993, Dr. Rocha was awarded a Board of Trustees president ing nine years in the California com- Fulbright Fellowship and taught for a William Thomson. munity college system. year in Caracas, Venezuela at the Uni- Photo by Kenny Kimura Most recently, he served as president versidad Simon Bolivar. U Building May Have To Be Torn Down The U Building on campus may to be structurally sound. will be in the U Building doing busi- have to be torn down. A 2009 study The college considers the building ness until the end of this academic evaluating the safety of campus build- safe for students and staff to occupy; year.” He estimated that work would ings found that the building is not up however, the administration has to more than likely begin in the summer to current earthquake standards. move as quickly as possible to transfer of 2011. Options include retrofitting the inte- occupants to temporary facilities. The college needs time to figure out rior of the building or demolishing the Dr. Mark Rocha, the college presi- where the different departments will structure. Because the building is not dent, was quoted in the Courier say- be moved and to secure trailers to up to current code, it must be modified ing, “It is reasonable to expect that we serve as temporary classrooms.