1960

Don Alper (1967, B.A., Political Science; 1969, M.A., Political Science) retired from teaching at Western Washington University after 43 years. He was professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Canadian-American Studies. He was founding director of the Border Policy Research Institute, created in 2005, and co-founder of the Munro Institute for Civic Education and the Study Canada Summer Institute, both of which continue to educate K-12 students from across the nation.

William Hugh McGinley (1964, M.A., Psychology) grew up in Long Beach. During the summer of 1960, while a student at UCLA, he took summer session classes at Long Beach State College and later earned his master’s degree. McGinley furthered his education at University of Kentucky, where he received a Ph.D., and began his career as a professor. He taught at University of Manitoba and then at University of Wyoming, where he served as an elected member of the city council and vice mayor of Laramie for nine years. McGinley served on various boards and commissions for the state of Wyoming, the city of Laramie and for not-for-profit organizations.  He is currently an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Wyoming.

Barrie Gauthier (1966, B.S. Engineering) recently released a book of poems called “The Black Cat Guide to Grammar through Light Verse.” It contains 155 poems, much of them centered on English grammar. Gauthier spent three years in the Navy as an engineer following his graduation from LBSU and subsequently worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He worked on Voyager I and Voyager II.

William Best (1965, B.A. Social Science) was recently honored with the Blessed Father Chaminade Award by Archbishop Riordan High in San Francisco, where his son attends. After graduation from LBSU, Best received a Navy Reserve Commission and was awarded the Purple Heart and Air Medal. He retired with the rank of Captain.

 1970

Edward Lamoureux (1975, B.A. Speech) On the heels of co-authoring a successful second edition of “Intellectual Property Law and Interactive Media: Free for a Fee” as well as “Case Analyses for Intellectual Property in New Media” (Peter Lang Pub., 2015), Lamoureux has written another book. A Professor in the Department of Interactive Media and the Department of Communication at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, he authored “Privacy, Surveillance and the New Media You” (Peter Lang Pub., 2016). The volume calls for re-establishing privacy as a societal norm in response to the threats to democracy posed by commercial tracking/targeting and governmental surveillance.

Mark Steven Greenfield (1973, B.A., Art) has been selected as one of seven artists to create artwork for L.A. Metro’s Regional Connector project. Greenfield has created “Red Car Requiem”, an abstract piece made of one-inch tiles, pays homage to the historic Red Car rail line, which carried throughout Los Angeles from 1901 to the early 1960s.

Elizabeth (Beth) Hicks Swift (1971, B.A. Home Economics) is serving her second stint as mayor of Buena Park after being elected to the city council in 2010 and again in 2014. Swift taught briefly after graduating from LBSU, but retired to raise four daughters. It was during that time, she became interested in government, running for a position on the school board, serving for 31 years. She returned to teaching in 1987, earning District Teacher of the Year in 2008. She retired in 2010 and turned her attention to city politics. Swift also represents Buena Park on the Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors and currently serves as chair.

Greg Swift (1972, B.A., Psychology) currently serves as the committee Vice Chair to Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson. Nelson appointed Swift to the Orange County Mental Health Board 17 years ago, having spent 35 years as a marriage and family therapist. After graduating from LBSU, he went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Biola University and served as a youth pastor. He later got master’s degree from Pepperdine.

Deborah Noyes Holland (1979, B.A., Psychology; 1985, M.A., Education) was honored as one of three LBUSD’s Teachers of the Year and one of the LA County Office of Education’s Teachers of the Year for 2017. Completing her 36th year of working in the LBUSD, she is the second generation in her family to work for the district and to have completed teacher training at LBSU.

Samir Nader (1973, B.A., Journalism) retired January 2016 after a long career reporting on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and North America. During his 43 years (15 years at Radio Sawa), Samir covered emerging news and provided foreign policy analysis on the U.S. State Department. He was recognized by then-Secretary of State John Kerry during his final press conference.

Obie Silverwood (1970, B.S., Business Administration) is spending much of his retirement traveling to exotic places that James Bond would have visited. In addition to tending to his real estate business, Sherwood and his wife, Joy, travel extensively to the film locales of the James Bond movies. He has chronicled their Bond travels in a book called, 007Obie, which can be purchased at 007Obie.com.

1980

Mark Allen Duncan (1981, B.S, Medical Microbiology) passed away Jan. 12 in Corona, California. He was 61 years old. Duncan graduated from Marina High School and earned an AA degree at Golden West College before transferring to LBSU. Mark worked at UCI Medical Center until 1990 when he decided to complete the Physicians’ Assistant program at Western University of Health Sciences. He worked at Parkview Hospital and later at Kaiser Permanente-Riverside Medical Center Urgent Care. Mark is preceded in death by his father Mack Duncan, and survived by his son Trevor Duncan, his mother Rita Duncan, two sisters Kathy Oliva (Phil), Julie Brown (Ralph), two nephews Spencer Brown and Jake Brown, and fiancée Karen Young, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Lynn Frankland (1986, B.A, Arts, Multi-Subject Credential) currently is teaching Andean children in Peru how to read Spanish.

1990

Brian Victor (1993, M.S., psychology) has been selected to the Super Lawyers 2017 California Rising Stars list. This is the third year in a row he was selected for this exclusive list, recognizing no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state. He practices divorce and child custody law at the Law Offices of Brian A. Victor in San Diego.

2000

Kim Anthony (2001, B.S.  Marine Biology; 2009, M.S. Biology) was elected president of the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists for a three-year term, beginning in August 2017.  She is currently an environmental project manager for Southern California Edison. Kim also serves on the board of directors for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro and the LBSU Alumni Association.

Christina Hodel (2006, B.A. Film and Electronic Arts) will begin her tenure-track assistant professor position at Bridgewater State University in September after finishing her doctorate at University of Kansas. She will be teaching video production at the Massachusetts school.

Faizah “Nicole” Toler (2003 M.S. Electrical Engineering) was honored as a Modern Day Technology Leader at the 2017 Black Engineer of the Year Awards in Washington, D.C. She is an Electrical Engineering Manager at Northrop Grumman Corporation in Azusa, CA. She was cheered by her husband, David Toler, by her company Northrop Grumman Corporation, and by a host of family and friends.

Shafiel A. Karmin (2009 M.A. Religious Studies) was named a 2017 California Rising Star by Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine. Karmin’s firm represents small and medium-sized business in commercial and class-action lawsuits.

Usama Kahf (2003 B.S. Finance, M.A. ’05 Communications Studies), was named a 2017 Rising Star by Southern California Super Lawyers. Usama is an associate in the Fisher Phillips Irvine office.

David Moatazedi (2000 B.S. Chemistry) joined Susan G. Komen’s Pink Tie Guys, a group of male advocates committed to the local fight against breast cancer. Each was presented with a pink tie donated by Macy’s, symbolic of their commitment to raise awareness within the business community in support of Komen’s mission.

Life Events

ANNIVERSARY Linda (Richter) Ault (1964, B.S. Physics) and Earl Ault (1964, B.S. Physics, 1966 M.S. Physics) celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary at Cedar Mountain Winery, Livermore, California. They met at Long Beach State College in 1960. After graduation, Linda went to University of Hawaii for a graduate degree in Solar Physics, while Earl continued his master’s studies in Plasma Physics at Long Beach and UCLA. After a few years working in the aerospace industry, they moved to Richland, Washington, where Earl did laser research at Exxon Nuclear and Linda pursued a graduate degree in Computer Science while employed at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory.

MARRIAGES Connor King (2016 B.A. Health Science) and Amber King (2015 B.A. Recreation) were married last June in a Long Beach State-inspired wedding at the Japanese Gardens. A former Prospector Pete mascot officiated, while Beach cheerleaders and pep band members performed for the many proud guests.

IN MEMORIAM Mark Allen Duncan (1981, B.S. Medical Microbiology) passed Jan. 12, 2017 in Corona. He was 61. A graduate of Golden West College and LBSU, he worked at UCI Medical Center and completed the Physicians’ Assistant program at Western University of Health Sciences in 1992. He worked at Parkview Hospital until 2002 when he went to work at Kaiser Permanente-Riverside Medical Center Urgent Care until the time of his passing. Mark is preceded in death by his father Mack Duncan. He is survived by his son, Trevor Duncan, his mother Rita Duncan, two sisters Kathy Oliva, Julie Brown, two nephews Spencer Brown and Jake Brown and fiancé Karen Young, as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Mary Hicks (1972, M.A. Education) who received her master’s degree from Long Beach State University 36 years after graduating from a small college in Oklahoma, died Feb. 9, 2017. She was 103. Mary Hicks served as a Staff Sergeant in the Intelligence division of the Manhattan Project and was discharged in 1945 and went back to teaching in 1950 in the Anaheim City School District. In 1971, the mother of five took a sabbatical to complete her master’s degree. A devout Christian, she taught adult Sunday school for 64 years. The highly respected and beloved mother, community and church member will be deeply missed.

Darwin Lyell Mayfield, a professor at LBSU for 34 years, died peacefully at his Pasadena home April 29, 2017. Darwin taught organic chemistry at LBSU from 1956 until his retirement in 1990 at age 70.  During his tenure at CSULB, he also served as chemistry department chair and as Director of Research. He is survived by his two daughters, Diane Mayfield and Nancy Wilms, two grandchildren, a great-grandson, niece and great-nephew.