Alumni Updates

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.

Christopher Swarth

Biological Sciences, 1978

After graduating, Christopher Swarth Biological Sciences, 1978, moved back home to Oakland where in 1983 he received his MS in Zoology from Cal State East Bay. After working for Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Lawrence Hall of Science (UC Berkeley) and Diablo Valley College, he married in 1987 and moved to Maryland. There he spent 23 years as director of the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, one of the components of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. In 2013, he moved back to northern California to work and teach at UC Merced, where he was the director of the 6,500 acre Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve adjacent to campus until he retired in 2016. He lives in Mariposa.

Duncan McClusky

Fisheries Biology, 1978

It is not really a recent update. I was in the Ecology Outdoor Group at HSU and I have continued volunteering time in the community. I generally volunteer between 300-400 hours each year. I have been chair of Keep Tift Beautiful for six years, Secretary of the Tree Board for five years, maintain four adopt a miles on my own and help on four others with different organizations. I have been Secretary for a Kiwanis Club for many years, I was on the Georgia Circle K District board as an assistant administrator for about nine years, and participated in five Circle K International Large Scale Service Projects. I have volunteered at the local, state and international level with Special Olympics. I have volunteered with paralympic sports for 17 years.

Rita Carman

Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1978

Carman graduated from HSU in 1978 with a degree in Forestry Science and a minor in Geology and worked for the USGS Water Resources in Carson City, Nevada, from 1979 to 1998 as a Hydrologist. She then went on to Nevada State from 1998 to 2016. She has been happily retired since 2016, is involved in the community, and a member of the Carson City Kiwanis since 1991. Living the good life!

Lester B Garrison

Chemistry, Chemical Oceanography high interest, 1978

After a most successful career in Clinical Chemistry and developing tests for inborn errors of metabolism in newborn infants, Lester Garrison (Chemistry, '78), has retired. His training in Chemical Oceanography was a good basis for his subsequent work in clinical chemistry. Driven by a passion for applying enzymology to solving clinical chemistry diagnostic issues, he was most pleased to develop a method to diagnose Galactosemia by measuring the lack of activity of the enzyme Galactose 1 Phosphate Uridyltransferase. This changed the accuracy of the previous galactosemia test from 60-70% reliable to 99%+ reliable, a great step forward in screening.

Barbara Scaroni

Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1978

Barbara Scaroni has managed to stay a dirt forester over the many years. Scaroni is still out marking and cruising timber, administering timber sales, running property lines, and writing environmental assessments, timber sale contracts, and researching the land use history of my timber sale areas. During college, Scaroni worked summers for the BLM in Ukiah, CA; Missoula, MT; Rawlins, WY; and Susanville, CA. Scaroni worked USFS in Cave Junction, OR, and Willows CA. Scaroni had permanent jobs after graduation with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs 1980-1990; Malheur National Forest, Burns, OR, 1990-1993; Coeur d'Alene Tribe, 1993-present.

Dennis A. Hansell

Biological Sciences, 1978

Oceanography professor at the University of Miami, FL. Research focuses on the ocean carbon cycle, with particular interest in the role of organic matter. Presently serve as Chairman of the United States Carbon Cycle Scientific Steering Group. Research cruise in Feb/March 2013 in the Ross Sea of the Southern Ocean (53 days at sea) followed by June cruise in Gulf of Alaska.

Raymond J. Bogiatto

Wildlife, 1977

Raymond J. Bogiatto, 1977 Wildlife, received his Master of Science in Biology from California State University, Chico in 1986. Bogiatto then worked at Eagle Lake Station as a station manager from 1989-2009. Bogiatto has been serving as a faculty member teaching biology at CSU Chico since 1987 to present day.

Raymond ("Jay") Joseph Bogiatto II

Wildlife, 1977

Jay died of brain cancer July 4th. He was so proud of his HSU experience and education. Here are links to the obituary and a write-up by CSU, Chico.

https://today.csuchico.edu/fond-farewell-jay-bogiatto/

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicoer/name/raymond-bogiatto-obit…

Gene Blankenbaker

Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1977

Gene Blankenbaker, 1977 Forestry & Wildland Resources, transferred to the position of Deputy Director for Human Resources for the U.S. Forest Service last spring.