ROM OUR READERS ditor's Note: The following letters on the spring 2000 Especially interesting are the feature articles Eissue were edited faT brevity. recognizing the various colleges. [My wife and I have a personal interest] in bio/agricultural engineering I just wanted to thank you for Cal Poly Magazine. The majors, since our son and son-in-law graduated in the articles were so interesting and well written I could mid-70s along with a daughter-in-law and daughter not put [the issue] down once I started reading. I am in home economics. The addition over the years of especially excited about both MaxiVision (being a bit other disciplines [enhancing] the effectiveness of the of a movie nut) and the plastic products of the future university is well and good, [proViding] a well­ (especially since I work in the electronics industry in rounded offering ... , but [I was disappointed to see] Silicon Valley). It really is exciting to learn about all the feature on [alumnus Al Yankovic], who is the great things going on at Cal Poly and in the lives pursuing a career in music that appears to feed on the of alumni. Thank you so much for producing such a rock culture scene. In my opinion thiS gives a wrong wonderful journal. impression of the traditional and important values - Shari Mullen (POLS '82) that Cal Poly represents ... as a university that upholds a "hands-on" approach in learning. - Jack H. Nikkel From Our Readers continued on page 2 ON TN COVER Environmental Horticultural Science Professor Tom Eltzroth (center) goes over an outline ofplantings for the College of Agriculture's Leaning Pine Arboretum with senior Chris Wassenberg (EHS '01) and alumna Meg Abel (EHS '00). The arboretum is a beautiful living laboratory for Cal Poly students that showcases Mediterranean plants and trees from Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and California (see story beginning on page 9). (photo by Cole Bybee [ART 'OO}/Karlen Design, cover design by Jeff Hamilton [ART '97) and Paul Karlen [GRC '76]/ Karlen Design) CONT NTS c) I ~ ---.J ~r \--.J'Y A University Publication for Alumni Fall 2000 and Friends of cal poly, San luis Obispo EDITOR'S NOTES FROM OUR READERS E E5 5 THINGS HIS MOTHER TAUGHT HIM & THE ART OF COMMUNICATING 9 THE SECRET GARDEN U VE Y W '1'1-'17 PO 5 5 '18-20 A CE 2'1-40 AL I EW 4'1-45 5 S 44-50 I M lAM 5'1-52 Money being raised for an elementary school in India will be named after Akkamma Mallareddy, mother of Cal Poly Civil Engineering Professor Harapanahalli Mallareddy. 5 From Our Readers continued from inside front cover ___"--..--J] ---.r Writer and Public Affairs Director JeffBliss --.-_._­ responds in part: Mr. Yankovic is among Cal Poly's most visible alumni, Cal Poly Magazine is published for alumni and friends of California Polytechnic State University, with a worldwide audience totaling in the mil/ions. He San Luis Obispo, by the Public Affairs Office, is certainly part o(popular culture, but one ofthe things with support from the Cal Poly Foundation. that sets him apart from other artists and musicians is that he cleverly satirizes their work. With regards to the Please mail letters to be edited for publication to "From Our Readers/, Cal Poly Magazine, Heron Hall hands-on approach to learning, I believe Mr. Yankovic 204, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 serves as another Cal Poly "leam-by-doing" success (phone 805/756-7109; fax 805/756-6533; story. A musician prior to enrolling at the university, he e-mail [email protected]). Submit written was able to parlay his talents with skills he learned "Class Notes" items to the same address or via e-mail at [email protected]. working at Cal Poly's radio station, KCPR. Mail address changes to A differing reader response to the same story (ollows: Advancement Services, Heron Hall, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407. Your article about Al Yankovic (I just can't call him VICE PRESIDENT FOR "Weird") came at a great time. I have kids 12 and UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT: 8, and they love AI's [Disney radio album] William G. Boldt parodies. You gave me a walk down memory lane PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR: and my kids are impressed. Keep up the good work Jeff Bliss on the magazine. I enjoy hearing what is happening at Cal Poly and seeing what the EDITOR: graduates are doing. Vicki Hanson - Linda Puckett-Perkins (AM '81) STAFF WRITERS: Bob Anderson, Jeff Bliss, Michelle Broom, JoAnn Lloyd, Darlene Slack The following are responses to questions by several CONTRIBUTORS: readers to the SPORTS NEWS article, "Five Mustangs Ben Beesley/Alumni Relations still riding high"; Michael Barr/College of Agriculture Lisa Hersch/College of Agriculture 1) Which (ormer Mustangs hold the top "most points Amy Hewes/College of Engineering scored in a single season'? Irene Hoffman/Kennedy Library Michael McCall/Annual Giving 1) Gary Davis, RB - 1976 96 Matthew Novak/College of Liberal Arts 2) Perry jeter, RB - 1953 89 Signature Sports Group 3) Mike Allshouse, RB - 1996 80 Jason Sullivan/Sports Information 4) james Tuthill, K - 1995 79 COVER: 5) Craig Young, RB - 1997 78 Cole Bybee/Karlen Design 2) Is one ofthose record holders a former kicking specialist? DESIGN/PRODUCTION: james Tuthill Jeff Hamilton/Karlen Design 3) Who was the very first kicking specialist offered a PHOTOGRAPHY: scholarship to play football at Cal Poly? Jeff Bliss, Ken Chen, Thomas Eltzroth, (No record available) Roy Harris, Lisa Hersch, Patrick Swadener, 4) Ofall the record-holders in all sports, who has held Marcia Wright his/her record the longest? PRINTING: jim Antoine for a career punt return (1955-57), American Lithographers Inc. average of 12.6 2 CAL POLY MAGAZINE FALL 2000 Things m t er taug t 1m was six months old, the mother must labor in the fields and at any other job she can find to support byAmyHewes her family. Many nights, the mother and son go to bed hungry. College ofEngineering But despite her extreme poverty and the fact that she never attended school herself, the mother is determined to better her son's life by making sure he receives an education. At this time, Harapanahalli has no school, so, from the first to the eighth grade, the boy walks two miles each morning and afternoon to attend school in a neighboring Village. He walks six miles farther to go to high school. The boy excels in his studies and pushes on to the university located ivil engineering professor in Bangalore, India's high-tech Harapanahalli Mallareddy teaches center. To pay for his studies, the courses on hydrology, coastal young man borrows money and engineering, and water also rises at dawn to work in a resources engineering. But if dairy before class; he returns to the students pay attention to the man, job after school until late at night. if they listen to his story, they also He never gives in to exhaustion, Professor Mallareddy and the learn much larger lessons about and encouraged by his professors, woman who inspired him ­ hardship, hard work, and altruism. Mallareddy achieves the almost his mother; Akkamma unthinkable for a person of his Mallareddy (photo left, Mallareddy's story begins with a background: he earns a scholarship courtesy of Prof. Mallareddy). boy living in a small hut with to study in the United States. He (Photo of Prof. Mallareddy his mother in the village of receives his master's degree and by Marcia Wright.) Harapanahalli, India. Because the Ph.D. from the University of boy's father died when the boy Oklahoma, and arrives at Cal Poly CAL POLY MAGAZINE FALL 2000 :5 in 1981 to teach in the fledgling As a first step, Mallareddy donated people live a very marginal Civil and Environmental his ancestral land left to him by his existence, side by side with nature Engineering Department. mother - the property abuts the - in fact, marauding, wild elephants current schoolyard. Then he set up still pose a frequent threat!" Today, Mallareddy is a soft-spoken, a School Betterment Committee modest man, who carries an acute made up of a dozen village officials In hopes of attracting additional awareness of his roots and the and residents and chaired by his donors, Lang has helped publicize debt he owes his mother. "My boyhood friend, M. Jayaram, who is the project to other faculty mother is responsible for where I also chair of the village panchayat, members. "It's such a worthwhile am now," he says. "Without her or council. "I've contributed an effort and, really, so extraordinary sacrifice, I'd have worked in the initial $8,000 to provide seed for a man who has surmounted fields forever." money needed to clear the land, the humblest of backgrounds to go hire an architect, draw up the plans, back to his roots and give such a "My mother is responsible for where I am now. One of his students, Aaron and drill a well," explains tremendous amount. We all can Fukuda, notes, "Professor Mallareddy. "I'm in contact with learn a lot from Reddy." Mallareddy drives this old Buick Jayaram every week to make sure from the '70s - he's not all caught the project stays on track." Mallareddy's students agree. "I've up in status and money. Instead, taken I don't know how many he's always telling us that we The new school will include six classes from Dr. Mallareddy and he's should be thankful for our classrooms, a library, a computer always willing to talk about more education and that we should give room, a staff room and principal's than engineering.