‘Thy Sons and Daughters Hail Thee Great, Our Alma Mater, Fresno State’
1960s
Robert Oliver (1966) was honored with the Community Legacy Award in recognition of his decades of service to the legal profession.
1970s
Donald Lee Andrews (1973) and Rick Soto (1974) opened an exhibit titled “Almost True Stories,” featuring a variety of paintings using the 19th-century technique of pointillism at the Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel.
Ken Hampian (1978) was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the International City and County Managers Association.
Jerome A. Thomann (1971), a 2023 Northern California PGA Hall of Fame inductee, was honored for 50 years of dedication and service to the game of golf.
Christine Vartanian Datian (1974, ’77) is a columnist for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator newspaper in Watertown, Massachusetts.
1980s
Jeff Atmajian (1983), arranger and conductor, hosted a fundraising event with North Fresno Rotary and Cultural Arts Rotary, discussing his work on the movie “Wicked: For Good.”
Ben Rivera (1989) is now director of commercial millwork sales for Building Products Inc., a family-owned distributor of millwork and building materials that serves the Midwest.
1990s
Steven Michael Albanese (1996) will retire as chief of police for the city of Pittsburg, California after 29 years of service.
Brandon Bakke (1995), a longtime principal and educator and former Fresno State basketball player under coaches Gary Colson and Jerry Tarkanian, authored the book “Lessons from the Bench: Unlocking the Impact of Bench Players in Teams and in Organizations.”
Reed Birnbaum (1997) is chief financial officer of DataHub, a leading open source context platform.
Sonja M. Brown (1996, ’98), higher education administrator, was appointed interim provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Robin Johnston McGehee (1998) is the inaugural LGBTQ+ liaison for the City of Fresno.
Lane Kiffin (1999) is now head football coach for Louisiana State University.
Sandra Mendez (1995) is now chief probation officer for the County of Santa Cruz.
Tricia Marie Protzman (1991, ’94) is now Madera County superintendent of schools.
Brian Terrizzi (1991), co-owner of Giornata Wines and Etto Pasta, was named the 2025 Wine Industry Person of the Year by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.
Henry de la Torre (1992) is now Fresno postmaster after 34 years as a postal employee.
Shannon Wentworth (1993, ’97) was honored as an outstanding pro bono attorney by Project First Step, presented by Central California Legal Services, Inc.
2000s
Paul Amador (2004) is now government affairs and community relations manager for Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Josh Amaya (2007) is a consulting partner with Essentials Health Plan and Revive Health.
William A. Brown (2000), superintendent of Lone Pine Unified School District, is now on the board for the Small School Districts’ Association.
Kuyler Crocker (2008) is now the city manager of Lindsay.
Michael Duartes (2002) is now deputy executive director of Fresno Housing, an affordable housing organization.
Ronda Hamm (2000, ’02), director of the Food, Farm and Energy Experience at Conner Prairie Living History Museum, was featured in a Future Farmers of America article highlighting her academic and career journey.
Jesse Katz (2007), founder and winemaker of Healdsburg’s Aperture Cellars, was named 2025 Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast.
Evonne (2000) and Matt Shinn (2001) are the owners of Block 21 Winery in Lodi.
Stephy Terrizzi (2005), owner of Giornata Wines and Etto Pasta, was named the 2025 Wine Industry Person of the Year by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.
Mary Thornton (2004) was reappointed to the Board of Parole Hearings by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Matthew Treber (2005) is now chief administrative officer for Madera County.
2010s
Ben Amuku Drati (2010, ’20), a former Fresno State football player, is now deputy superintendent for Fresno Unified School District.
Peter Krumeich (2010), a former javelin student athlete, was featured in the Escalon Times as the father of four siblings who will compete in the Junior Olympics.
Jon Porter (2018) is now director of finance and operations for Central Valley Scholars, a nonprofit student resource center.
Eric Santos (2011) is now principal for agency partnerships for QuestionPro, an Austin, Texas-based survey software company.
Ryan M. Simone (2010) is now a partner at Higgs Fletcher & Mack in the business litigation and healthcare law practice groups.
Salvador Solorio-Ruiz (2019) is now mayor of Delano.
Derick (2015) and Megan Webb (2014), owners/operators of Lumberyard Cellars in Escalon, earned Small Business of the Year honors for California’s Ninth Assembly District. They were featured in 209 Magazine.
Aarón Zavala (2015) is now assistant to the city manager for the City of Pleasanton.
2020s
Francisco Abendano (2020) is now director of operations for the Nisei Farmers League, a nonprofit farmers coalition.
Alison Garibay (2022) completed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Health Postgraduate Fellowship with the U.S. House of Representatives and the Biden-Harris administration.
Courtney Hill (2020, ’23), who performs as Ivanna Strange, was elected empress of the 52nd Reign of Imperial Dove Court, a nonprofit organization that serves the LGBTQIA+ community.
Bulldog Born, Bulldog Wed
Bernadette Failla (2020) and Donovan Failla (2018) welcomed their first child, Tessa, on Aug. 20, 2025.
Samantha Ford (2024) and Jaden De Vore (2023) are engaged to be married on May 5, 2027.
Tanvi Jithendran (2013) and her husband welcomed their first child, Emma Z, on Oct. 3, 2025.
Johnny Martin (2016) and Kayla Martin welcomed their second child, Savannah Grace, on Jan. 7, 2026.
Aubree Reyes (2022) and Andy Reyes welcomed their second child, Adalynn Beth, on March 6, 2026.
Danny Souza (2018) and Luke Teixeira (2020) were engaged on July 19, 2025, at Shark Fin Cove Beach.
Amanda Steinhauer (2020, ’22) married Charel Wanderscheid (2020, ’22) on April 3, 2026, in Flaxweiler, Luxembourg.
Amanda Yang (2017) married Luke Vang (2018) on March 14, 2026, in Clovis.
In Memoriam
‘For thee, our hopes and memories’
Delores Aguiniga (1972), Oct. 14, 2025, Fresno.
Jon Anabo (1963, ’78), Sept. 15, 2025, Fresno.
David Charles Anderson (1980), Nov. 3, 2025, Vallecito.
David Peter Arnold (1959), Aug. 14, 2025, Woodbury, CT.
Joanna Arredondo (2013, ’16), Jan. 18, 2026, Salinas.
Celia Maldonado Arroyo (1967, ’75), Jan. 28, 2026, Fresno.
Mary Theresa Johnson (Bennetts) (1965), Nov. 25, 2025, Fresno.
Anita Louise Bragg (1960), Sept. 6, 2025, Visalia.
Mike Briggs (1985, ’91), Aug. 31, 2025, Fresno.
Lynne Sharon Lipscomb Brumit (1968), Dec. 9, 2025, Westport, CT.
Diane Buckalew (1965), Aug. 4, 2025, Broomfield, CO.
Ryan Castillo (2011), Nov. 17, 2025, Fresno.
Robert Wendal Clerico (1960), Sept. 2, 2025, Bakersfield.
Wilburn Cowin (1954), Dec. 19, 2025, Bend, OR.
Mary Ann Cunial (1961), Sept. 27, 2025, Livermore.
Andrew Darby (1953), Dec. 28, 2025, Bakersfield.
Aaron Donald Davis Jr. (1954), Aug. 15, 2025, Coeur d’Alene, ID.
Ronald Max Davis (1961), Sept. 9, 2025, Dayton, OH.
Mary Ann Dews (1970), Sept. 22, 2025, Fresno.
Sarah Katherine Eiland (Ponder) (1984), Feb. 18, 2026, Spring Hill, TN.
Aaron Ray Epperly (1963), Oct. 9, 2025, Monterey.
Christian Anthony Fontana, Oct. 6, 2025, Susanville.
Joseph Fraga (1961), April 21, 2026, Fresno.
Robert E. Fraley (1961), Dec. 30, 2025, Fresno.
John Gahvejian (1957), Sept. 17, 2025, Fresno.
Anthony Kenneth Galassi (1973), July 11, 2025, Fairfax Station, VA.
Jimmie Gene Garrett (1960), Jan. 30, 2026, Visalia.
Jere Donn Gauss (1973), Feb. 4, 2026, Fresno.
Verna Carol (Nikolauson) Gaylord (1958), Sept. 23, 2025, Turlock.
Ronald Keith Headlee (1959), Sept. 14, 2025, Trinidad, CO.
Joseph Alan Healy (2000), Aug. 2, 2025, Healdsburg.
David Gilbert Hedgecock (1972), Jan. 7, 2026, Fresno.
Sandra Grace Henry (1965), April 12, 2026, Henderson, NV.
Herbert Joseph Hernandez (1969), Sept. 11, 2025, Carencro, LA.
William H. Henry (1952), Aug. 14, 2025, Fresno.
Larry Howard (1974), Dec. 22, 2025, Fresno.
George Pete Isaak (1954), Dec. 1, 2025, Redlands.
Rodger Jensen (1941, ’10), Aug. 5, 2026, Fresno.
Olden Johnson Jr. (1958), Aug. 21, 2025, Fresno.
Shirley Hallam Karabian (1973), Dec. 23, 2025, San Jose.
Jeff Kragh, Sept. 6, 2026, Fresno.
Janet Stoll Lee (1980), Sept. 12, 2025, Fresno.
Arley Dale Loeffler (1972), Oct. 17, 2025, Hesston, KS.
Thomas A. Lutton (1962), Nov. 21, 2025, Clovis.
Karen Major (1969), April 3, 2026, Fresno.
Blossom Malkasian (1960), Sept. 15, 2025, Fresno.
Samuel Richard Manske, Sept. 19, 2025, Hillsboro, OR.
David P. McCauley (1952), Feb. 20, 2026, Fresno.
Kevin Scott McCully (1988), Aug. 25, 2025, Fresno.
Margaret Claire McDougal, Oct. 9, 2025, Fresno.
William M. McMahon (1979), Dec. 21, 2025, Grangeville, ID.
Christine Johnson McPhail (2004), March 1, 2026, Darlington, SC.
Andra Johnson Munson (1955), Aug. 25, 2025, Yuba City.
Janice Nikoghosian (1968, ’69), Aug. 18, 2025, Hanford.
Cleo William Norris, Sept. 21, 2025, Fresno.
Patricia J. Oji (1974), Sept. 29, 2025, San Rafael.
Gary Julien Olson (1962), Aug. 20, 2025, Turlock.
Adelle Carolyn Orton (MacDonald) (1988), Nov. 15, 2025, Paso Robles.
Sam Paregian (1950), Dec. 3, 2025, Fresno.
Betty Jane Pash (1972), Oct. 6, 2025, Fresno.
Harriet Joann Perkins (1954), Feb. 22, 2026, Fresno.
Grace Edith Pope (1956), Aug. 3, 2025, Fresno.
Gary Anthony Poulsen (1987), Jan. 16, 2026, Las Vegas.
Ronald Anthony Radish (1967), Oct. 28, 2025, Visalia.
John David Ratliff (1960), Aug. 25, 2025, Redding.
Lydia Rebecca Rodriguez (1987), Oct. 17, 2025, Clovis.
Ramon Rodriguez III (2005), Dec. 26, 2025, Fresno.
Eric John Rystad (1983), Aug. 28, 2025, Fresno.
Julie Miller Salmon (1985, ’89), Oct. 24, 2020, Fresno.
Jan L. “John” Shade, Oct. 24, 2025, Madison, WI.
Hollis Douglas Shannon (1954), March 10, 2026, Bakersfield.
Dennis Michael Shaves (1964), June 15, 2025, Scottsdale, AZ.
Michael Edward Simpson (1982), Aug. 23, 2025, Bakersfield.
Rose Marie Smith (1948), Sept. 11, 2025, Fresno.
Susan Pamela Smither (1970), Dec. 10, 2025, Modesto.
Marybel Svigos (1998), Nov. 30, 2025, Fresno.
Barbara Farrington Thomas (1977), March 10, 2026, Fresno.
Vernon Jack Tracy (1962), March 9, 2026, Fresno.
Clemens Van Beurden (1964), Feb. 28, 2026, San Luis Obispo.
Ed Vegely (1960), Sept. 1, 2025, Mariposa.
Earl Cole Vickers (1969, ’75), Jan. 11, 2026, Fresno.
Frederick Vaughn Webb (1977), Oct. 13, 2025, Port Angeles, WA.
W. Dean Weidner (1967), March 17, 2026, Kirkland, WA.
John Jack Wise (1957), Nov. 8, 2024, Fresno.
Jim Witherow (1974), Dec. 28, 2025, Fresno.
Judith Anne Wright (1957), July 14, 2025, Livermore.
Nyla Jane Zender (1965), Oct. 1, 2025, Fresno.
Faculty/Staff
James “Jim” Aldredge, Oct. 17, 2025, Fresno.
Veronica Arroyo, March 2, 2026, Fresno.
Mark Baldis, Feb. 25, 2026, Fresno.
Manuel Q. Bersamin, Oct. 26, 2025, Watsonville.
Steve Magarian, Sept. 22, 2025, Fresno.
Gary Keith McCurry, Jan. 1, 2026, Fresno.
Joseph Melamed, Sept. 11, 2025, Carmichael.
Mike Nourian, Sept. 26, 2025, Fresno.
Jenna Sawdon-Bea, May 19, 2025, Fresno.
Roy Thornton, March 4, 2026, Fresno.
Donald Alfred Vasconcellos, Sept. 6, 2025, Fresno.
Friends
Arnold Gazarian, June 16, 2026, Fresno.
Larry Kragh, Sept. 26, 2025, Fresno.
Compiled by Eddie Hughes (’05), Angel Langridge (’20) and Daisy Thao (student)
