Alumni Updates

Ed Busch

Fisheries Biology, 1980

I wanted to share the news that my project with civil war letters and photos went live today. See http://news.msu.edu/story/civil-war-stories-forever-preserved/

http://www.abc12.com/story/19644173/msu-to-place-civil-war-letters-and-diaries-on-website

Reginald Jonker

Oceanography, 1980

Reginald Jonker is retired. 

Lawson Snyder

Fisheries Biology, 1980

Spent 31 years after graduaion with the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, which later became the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Started in 1980 as a freshwater fisheries biologist and is currently serving as Deputy Director of the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation.

Marie (Ferguson) Smith

Wildlife, 1980

Marie (Ferguson) Smith, 1980 Wildlife, has been teaching high school science for the last 25 years after working for the U.S. Forest Service as a Research Technician, I. Smith is married with three sons, two engineers (SDSU and CSU) and one zoologist (HSU). She’s currently living on a mountain outside of Glide, Oregon, and still teaching science (Umpqua Valley Christian School), but dreaming of retirement.

Douglas Turner

Biological Sciences, 1980

Douglas Turner, 1980, Biological Sciences, has two sons on the college path. Turner’s oldest is a Chemical Engineering major at Cal Poly Pomona and his youngest, currently a high school senior, is applying to HSU.

Matt Vallerga

Fisheries Biology, 1980

Matt Vallerga, Fisheries Biology, 1980, will be retiring from teaching on June 2, 2018 after 20 years in the classroom. He has taught third, fourth, and fifth graders with every combination in between! Not bad for a third and last career. Prior to being an educator, he spent about 10 years working in environmental sciences (air quality control, trace metals analysis, water resources, etc.). His first career out of HSU was about 10 years in seafood marketing and aquaculture. He is looking forward to recreating outdoors and traveling with his wife, Barbara.

Jim Parsons

Fisheries Biology, 1979

Jim Parsons, 1979 Fisheries Biology, is an owner/partner in Troutlodge, Inc., the world's largest supplier of rainbow trout eggs to the commercial and agency sectors. He was also elected president of the National Aquaculture Association in 2016.

Michael Sandecki

Geology, 1979

Michael Sandecki, 1979 Geology, is currently a water quality analyst employed with the California Coastal Commission.

Marianne Lancaster

Biological Sciences, 1979

After 30-plus years of serving as a high school biology teacher in Humboldt County and Riverside County, Marianne retired and took another job serving as the Nature Education Manager for The Nature Education Foundation at the Santa Rosa Plateau in Riverside County, which supports education programs on the 10,000-acre Reserve known as the Santa Rosa Plateau. Emphasis has been on helping high school students become citizen scientists by participating in data collection for the National Phenology Network, which collects data on the seasonal changes in plants and animals with the changing climate.

Mary Christine Rohn Hartman (Cris)

Natural Resources, 1979

Cris Rohn Hartman (1979) lives in northern California.  She worked as a law enforcement ranger for 30 years after initially working for a private consultant in range/wilderness impact issues directly after graduation. She is still using her college degree while working as an Expedition Leader for a travel company who markets to alumni associations, leading tours and teaching guests about natural and cultural resources and the history of the areas she travels to. She says it is the perfect retirement job.