Alumni Updates

Conrad L. Huygen

Geography, 1994

Conrad L. Huygen, 1994 Geography, retired from the Air Force JAG Corps as a lieutenant colonel after a distinguished military career that also included enlisted service in the Army and the Coast Guard. He served four assignments as a trial defense counsel, was an executive officer to the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and deployed to the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (Combat Operations Division). Huygen and his wife, Julie, plan to stay in the Denver area where he will teach, travel, write, run, cycle, ski, fish, and brew every day the sun shines.

Alyson Hunter

GeographySocial Science Teacher Preparation, 1993

Alyson Hunter ('93, Geography, Social Science Education) is currently working as a Senior Planner for the City of Marina in the beautiful Monterey Bay area, ancestral lands of the Esselen peoples. She can't wait to move back to Humboldt in a couple of years!

Leah Manos

GeographyMS in geography from University of Tennessee 1997, 1992

LEAH MANOS, 1992 Geography, is teaching geography at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and is a faculty advisor for its Gamma Theta Upsilon (geography honor society) chapter.

Ira Goldstein

Geography, 1991

Ira has been a watchmaker for 30 years in Idaho and loves his career although he says he will always be a Geographer at heart.  He resides in Boise, ID. with his wife Barbara (whom he met at Humboldt). He owns Timekeeper Watch Repair & Sales in Eagle, ID.

William Forbes

GeographyForestry, 1990

William Forbes, 1990 Geography, is an Associate Professor of Geography at another lumberjack school, Stephen F. Austin State University, located in the Pineywoods of East Texas. At the University of North Texas, he did his dissertation on revisiting Mexico's Rio Gavilan, where Aldo Leopold noted perfect land health in the 1930s. Forbes currently directs SFA's Center for a Livable World, which studies sustainability and livability of small cities.

Robert E. Ruehl

GeographyHistory, 1987

Work at Weather Forecast Office Eureka, CA. Currently involved in the installation of many automatic weather data collection packages(DCPs)throughout northwestern California in conjunction with CA State Parks, CA Dept. of Water Resources and the CA/NV River Forecast Center.

Janet Morlan

Geography, 1985

I retired July 1, 2011, and received the best retirement "gift." In May I was flown to Washington D.C. to receive a National Wetlands Award. And it all began at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary many, many years ago. Here's the link to the award information & photos: http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org/

Douglas Harding

Geography, 1985

Douglas Harding, 1985 Geography, has completed 11 years at Hope Flight Foundation as Founder, President, and Chief Pilot. Hope Flight Foundation provides free flights for children with cancer from the small remote towns of California to the specialized cancer hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles area.

Gary Perless

Geography, 1984

Two and a half decades after my first immersion in Latin America, I've maintained my Spanish fluency through travel, friendships, and teaching. I earned my M.A. in Geography Education at U of Oregon in 1993. I teach Spanish and World Geogaphy/History at West Sound Academy, a small, private, International School (grades 6-12) in Poulsbo, WA.

I live just outside Port Townsend with my wife, Jocelyn and our children William (9) and Serena (4). I'd love to hear from any fellow Geography or Oaxaca Program graduates.

Gary "Eduardo" Perless

Geography, 1984

After many years as a public school Science teacher, I'm now teaching Spanish and World Geography/History at a small, university prep school in Poulsbo, WA. West Sound Academy is a good fit for me, emphasizing global citizenship, critical thinking, and service learning--and I can ride the bus to work. I live near Port Townsend, with my wife Jocelyn and children Will(9) and Serena (4). Would love to hear from any Geographers or students who went to Oaxaca in '84.