I'm a bit late in posting these photos of the Distinguished Alumni dinner. James, along with 8 other individuals, was honored at the Kellogg Ranch Restaurant at Cal Poly, Pomona on Friday, April 24th. I flew out on Thursday night to Los Angeles, while my sister, Claudine and my parents took care of the girls. It was a wonderful event. Dinner was prepared by the students of the Hospitality Management College.
Here are a list of the honorees:
College of Agriculture
John E. Andrews
Class of '92
College of Business Administration
Lawrence Taff
Class of '80
College of Education and Integrative Studies
Robert Pletka
Class of '06
College of Engineering
James S. B. Chew
Class of '84
College of Environmental Design
Victoria Basolo
Class of '91
College of Letters Arts and Social Sciences
John Mortberg
Class of '70
College of Science
Una L. Morris
Class of '70
Collins College of Hospitality Management
Jill K. Bosich
Class of '93
Athletics
Daniel Andrews
Class of '90
All of the honorees were so accomplished and humble. Each of their speeches reflected their love of Cal Poly, their commitment to 'giving back' and their love of the faculty who nurtured their interests and ambitions. Every one in attendance was so welcoming and accepting of the honorees.
I was truly inspired by all the nominees, but two of them (besides my husband!) really touched my heart. The first was Dr. Una Morris. She came to the US from Jamaica when she was just 17. Her mother had died when she was 10 and she arrived in the US with little to her name. She was an runner in the 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Ciudad de Mexico) and 1973 (Munich) Olympics. She had to practice with the men's track team at Cal Poly because there was no women's team! She went on to become a respected Radiologist. Her speech nearly brought tears to my eyes as she thanked her professors and the family that took her in when she came to the US.
Second honoree I just loved was Jill Bosich. She was the second youngest honoree. She spoke of the overwhelming choices that young students face when they have decided what 'they want want to do', but are unsure of which avenue to take to get them to the place they want to be. I believe this is a situation that many of us faced as college students, and Jill spoke so honestly and affectionately of the individuals who guided her to her current success.
It really was a lovely evening. We were thrilled to have our friends Nick and Mary join us at the event. Nick, who has been James' dear friend since 4th grade, and Mary live in Massachusetts. If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that our summers are not complete until we spend time with Uncle Nick and Aunt Mary at their home in Marshfield. Also present was Fred, James' friend since kindergarten. James, Nick and Fred have all maintained close contact through the years and all are quite accomplished in their own right. Also sharing our table at the dinner were James' former professor and friend, Dr. Mike Sheldon. Mike nominated James for this honor. Mike's wife Tina was a classmate of James' and they have remained friends for over 20 years.
Rounding out our table were James' Mom & Dad and the Dean of the College of Engineering, Professor Ed Hohmann.
Mike and Tina
James with Cal Poly President Mike Ortiz, Dean Hohmann, and a few of the honorees. (Photo taken just after I told James he needed to straighten his tie!)
After the dinner, Fred and Nick & Mary joined us on the patio of our room at The Inn at Kellogg Ranch. Mary and I had a good time observing the 'Three Geniuses' as they shared beers, smoked cigars and solved the world's problems. All and all, a really spectacular evening!
The next day (Saturday) I hopped a plane home to the girls. James had to stay behind to attend to work in California. It was a quick trip, but one that I'm so glad I made.
Here the 'Three Geniuses' goof around with James' image that was posted, along with the other honorees photos, in the reception area. I'm so glad that some things never change...
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