Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
Patricia (Patty) Brown
Natural Resources, 1977
Patty retired twice, but you might not know it from how busy she still is. Her first career was as a park ranger for California State Parks in the redwoods and the desert, the National Park Service in Alaska at Katmai and Lake Clark, then on the Kenai Wildlife Refuge, ending in 1995. She then decided to pursue a less itinerant life as a middle school science teacher in Alaska. Currently, she volunteers on the ambulance crew and does humanitarian work in winter at the U.S.-Mexico Border. She was recently elected to the local planning commission in Haines.
Tim Hamaker
Fisheries Biology, 1977
Has been on an assignment to Southern California since March, 2010 acting as the Environmental Compliance Manager for a 1+ billion dollar wind energy project near Tehachapi-Mojave.
Craig Chase
Fisheries BiologyMasters in Computer Information Systems - University of Denver, 1977
Craig Chase, Fisheries Biology, 1977, retired from Lockheed Martin Space Systems in 2015.
Rick Williams
Wildlife, 1977
Ricky retired in 2022 after a 45-year career as a wildlife biologist that began with waterfowl research for CDFG and USFWS, including a memorable stint chasing then-endangered Aleutian Canada Geese across their California wintering grounds. From 1980-2022, he worked as a terrestrial biologist and program manager in the private sector, primarily focused on water and energy projects in California and other western states. He credits the late Humboldt professors, Drs. Stan (Doc) Harris and Charles F. (Chuck) Yocum for guiding him into career-long service with The Wildlife Society-Western Section, including terms as President and Representative to the TWS National Council.
Rick Williams
Wildlife, 1977
Rick Williams ('77, Wildlife) retired in July 2022 after a 45-year career that began with the USFWS and CDFW. He transitioned through PG&E and various consulting firms and then culminated with a return to PG&E in 2015. He has had career-long involvement with The Wildlife Society (TWS), including service as President of the TWS-Western Section (TWS-WS) representing wildlife professionals in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, and the TWS Executive Council. He attributes his long involvement with TWS to the mentorship of former (now deceased) Humboldt professors, Dr. Chuck Yocum and Dr. Stan (Doc) Harris, true giants of the Wildlife Profession.
Gary Newman
Environmental Resources Engineering, 1977
After graduation, Gary Newman, Environmental Resources Engineering, 1977, went to Utah State University and earned a Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Upon graduation from USU, he was hired by Brown and Caldwell Consulting Engineers (BC), in their Pasadena, California office. Newman has continued working with BC for the past 41 years saying "they have treated me well and provided some wonderful professional opportunities." His specialty has been wastewater treatment. Besides, Pasadena, he has lived and worked in Salt Lake City, Dallas, Seattle, and now Phoenix. He has also worked on projects in Vancouver, B.C., Washington D.C, New York, Nashville and San Francisco. Newman says he will be mostly retiring in the next year or so but will continue working part-time.
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.
Brett A. Budick
Geology, 1976
Brett A. Budick, 1976 Geology, was appointed to the position of Chief Deputy State Coordinator of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management in December, 2016 by Governor Terry McAuliffe. As the number two in the agency and a 26-year Virginia state employee, Budick is responsible for all disaster response and recovery activities throughout the Commonwealth, radiological emergency preparedness at nuclear power plants and with the nuclear Navy, and Virginia's Homeland Security initiatives. He stays active in academia as an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University and remains active in sports with USA Rugby and World Rugby in their Coach Development Programs.
Deb (Lewis) Parker
Wildlife, 1976
Deb (Lewis) Parker, 1976, Wildlife Management, retired from the federal government in 2014 after a 36-year career. She still works full time as a senior staff assistant with the nonprofit National Conference of State Legislatures, in Denver. Parker started her career as a rodent-control biologist with the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa. She then spent 24 years with the U.S. Forest Service as a wildlife biologist and public affairs specialist working in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Colorado. Parker’s next 10 years were with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Colorado, where she was the writer, editor and web manager for national wildlife refuge conservation plans in the service’s Mountain-Prairie Region. Parker and her husband, Andy (a retired wildland firefighter), adopted their daughter, Tai, from China in 1994. Tai is currently a junior at HSU with double majors in psychology and CRGS (Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies). Parker’s weekends often involve competing in dog agility trials with her feisty terrier, Jagger.
Bob Freeman
Biological Sciences, 1976
The third volume of the SciFi series "H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave" by local author, Bob Freeman, is now out in the wild. The author is a graduate of HSU with a Masters in Biology and a retired Public Health Laboratory Director (Imperial County). In the classic Space Opera SciFi style, he takes the reader from one end of California to the other. They ditch the red roadster and the trip continues to Luna, the asteroid belt, and beyond. More information, sample chapters, and the dreaded 'Trigger Warning' can be found here.