Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
Timothy E. Blewett
Fisheries Biology, 1966
After 21.5 years in the Air Force, Sally and Timothy Blewett ('66, Fisheries) retired to Little Rock, AR where Timothy spent the next 31 years as a safety and risk control consultant. His wife Sally spent 30 years as a travel consultant. When he left Humboldt, he had visited only one foreign country and has since visited 42. Humboldt meant a lot to him, and much of his seven novels reference Humboldt. He claims he was not a good student but managed to get an MS in Environmental Management from UTSA and is now retired.
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.
George FitzGerald
Geology, 1968
As the first geology graduate of Humboldt State in 1968, George FitzGerald went to work as an underground mine geologist in Grants, New Mexico. Using investigative skills taught by my Humboldt professors, he directed the quality-based safe extraction of uranium ore for over 15 years. Great education and experience in field geology provided him with the skills to successfully hold positions in industry, teaching, consulting and government regulation for environmentally protective mineral production. FitzGerald thanks Humboldt's first geology professors Dr. Young, Dr. Kilmer, and Dr. Longshore for creating one of the great programs at Cal Poly Humboldt.
Matthew Nelson
Biological SciencesB.S. in Zoology 2004, M.A. Biology 2009, 2004, 2009
Matthew Nelson ('04, Zoology, '09, M.S. Biology) has worked as a biological technician for Olympic National Park, a marine biologist for the City of San Diego, and is currently a Shellfish Biologist for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in Washington. This position involves working closely with other state and tribal managers to maintain healthy and productive fisheries while ensuring that the resource will be around for the benefit of future generations.
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.
Jay Brandes
OceanographyChemistry, 1988
Jay Brandes recently gave a talk titled “Microplastics: A Local Problem with a Local Solution” at the 2022 TEDx Savannah Event. He is presently a Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia Athens, working out of UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah Georgia. His work encompasses a variety of areas including nutrient and carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, and marine pollution. This fall (2022) he will begin teaching an Oceanographic Cruise course for Marine Science majors, and hopes to impart the knowledge he gained having experienced a similar transformational course in his education at HSU.
Diane Haase
Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1989
Haase ('89, Forestry) earned her M.S. in tree physiology at OSU in 1991. She then worked as the Associate Director of OSU's Nursery Technology Cooperative, researching seedling production, quality and outplanting. She now works for the USDA Forest Service as the Western Nursery Specialist on the national Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetics Resources team (RNGR.net). Diane provides technical support to forest and conservation nurseries in the western states and the American-affiliated Pacific islands through visits, publications, conferences and more. She also serves as the editor of Tree Planters' Notes, an applied journal for those who work in nurseries, reforestation and restoration.
Cindy Purnell Frakes
Biological Sciences, 1981
After 33 years in the high-tech industry, Cindy Purnell Frakes retired from her most recent position of 13 years as Senior Director, Information Development at Oracle. Her career journey prior to that included stints at Borland, PeopleSoft, Computer Associates, and the Paradigm Group. She's now happily retired, living in Ferndale, WA, and has picked up her binoculars to pursue bird #485 and beyond to add to her life list.
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.
Lester B Garrison
ChemistryChemical 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.