Class Notes

Four kids and 11 grandkids joined James Brewbaker (DistSt) for a family reunion on their ranch north of Boulder in July. James retired July 1, 2015, after more than 53 years at the University of Hawaii. He plans to continue to write research as an emeritus professor. James was the founder of Hawaii’s seed industry in the 1960s, which is now Hawaii’s biggest agriculture industry.

In January Elaine Mullenax Long (Edu) of Buena Vista, Colo., turned 80. After graduating from CU, she taught in Portland, Ore., Denver and on a U.S. Strategic Air Command base near Oxford, England. She then began a writing career, and several of her short stories have been published in magazines and in anthologies. Her three novels were followed by a nonfiction book, The Caregiver’s Choice, which chronicled the 14 years she spent taking care of her husband, who died of cancer in 2003, and her mother, who died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2007. She also produced three CDs of music. Her website is www.elainelong.com.

In January Elaine Mullenax Long (Edu) of Buena Vista, Colo., turned 80. After graduating from CU, she taught in Portland, Ore., Denver and on a U.S. Strategic Air Command base near Oxford, England. She then began a writing career, and several of her short stories have been published in magazines and in anthologies. Her three novels were followed by a nonfiction book, The Caregiver’s Choice, which chronicled the 14 years she spent taking care of her husband, who died of cancer in 2003, and her mother, who died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2007. She also produced three CDs of music. Her website is www.elainelong.com.

After retiring from teaching high school math in 2010, Bill Yates (A&S) is focusing on writing. He has owned and operated Yates Publishing since 1972, which specializes in family histories. He has written poetry for more than 40 years and released his collection, Dreams Rewritten, in March. Bill is the father of nine children and lives near Spokane, Wash.

This spring, Ruth Stewart (Nurs; MS’65) was recognized by the Texas Nurses Association at a legacy banquet for her lasting impact in nursing practice. She is a clinical associate professor and historian in the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she has worked since 1969. She is very active in her community, especially in supporting women’s rights and health. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Joseph Bell (Math), a board member on the International Senior Lawyers Project, was awarded with the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The official presentation was May 14 at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. The recognition was made for his efforts to further Poland’s economic transformation. While at the law firm Hogan & Hartson he worked pro bono for the Polish government for many years. He eventually established a branch of the firm in Warsaw in 1991. Joseph also was honored for his work as a director of the American Polish Freedom Foundation. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Jean-Paul Valette (PhDEcon) and Rebecca Loose Valette (PhDFren’63) have devoted their professional lives to the creation of language teaching materials, including French for Mastery, Spanish for Mastery, Contacts and Discovering French. For their work they have been honored by the French government. Rebecca is past president of the American Association of Teachers of French and professor emeritus at Boston College. The couple also have a passion for Navajo blankets with
Yeibichai imagery, which led to the publication of their book Weaving the Dance. They live in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

After teaching at CU’s ATLAS Institute for the past few years, jazz musician Don Grusin (Soc; MEcon’67) is focusing on his music full time in Los Angeles. He spent time this year performing in the UK and Germany and organizing for new master-class music clinics. He is working on his latest album, DEATHBEAT, a celebration and reminiscence of friends and colleagues. Don has recorded more than 20 solo albums and has won three Grammys in jazz and world music genres.

The first female president of both the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute, Roberta Cooper Ramo (Hum) was given the inaugural Award for Professional Excellence by the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession this spring. Previously Roberta had been appointed by the U.S. Senate to serve as co-chair of a committee to review governance issues of the U.S. Olympic Committee. She is a partner at Modrall Sperling, the largest New Mexico-based law firm.

Olympic skier Bill Marolt (Bus) was named a 2015 George Norlin Award winner for his dedication to CU Athletics and beyond. He won three U.S. ski championships (1963 downhill, 1964 slalom and 1965 giant slalom) before taking on the head ski coach’s job at CU-Boulder in 1969. He coached 30 All-Americans and also helped with the creation of the CU women’s ski team. After working as the U.S. Ski team coach for six years, Bill became CU’s athletic director and oversaw the construction of the Dal Ward athletic complex, the addition of three women’s sports (soccer, golf and volleyball) and the university’s first national championship in football. He and his wife now split their time between Boulder and Arizona.

The Hopi Tribe Economic Development Corporation in Flagstaff, Ariz., appointed Charles Thompson Sr. (Mktg) as its CEO. The corporation operates seven businesses throughout Northern Arizona. Charles spent 35 years in the luxury consumer products industry in China. He lives with his wife, Judy Brett Thompson (Mktg’65), in Mesa, Ariz. In April they celebrated their 50th anniversary. They have three children, all of whom are CU graduates: Charles Thompson Jr. (Bus’91), Stacey Thompson Rogers (Acct’93) and Kim Thompson Welk (Mktg’96). They also have seven grandchildren.

The Hopi Tribe Economic Development Corporation in Flagstaff, Ariz., appointed Charles Thompson Sr. (Mktg) as its CEO. The corporation operates seven businesses throughout Northern Arizona. Charles spent 35 years in the luxury consumer products industry in China. He lives with his wife, Judy Brett Thompson (Mktg’65), in Mesa, Ariz. In April they celebrated their 50th anniversary. They have three children, all of whom are CU graduates: Charles Thompson Jr. (Bus’91), Stacey Thompson Rogers (Acct’93) and Kim Thompson Welk (Mktg’96). They also have seven grandchildren.

Robert Williams (Math) announced his retirement in May from Centerstone, America’s largest nonprofit community-based provider of mental health, addictions and intellectual disabilities services. He served as chief policy and strategy officer and as CEO emeritus. Earlier in his career he taught, served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and worked as a psychologist and clinical director. At CU Robert stayed busy: He was a Boettcher and Regents Scholar, a member of the Silver and Gold freshman honor society, a charter member of CU’s Key Club and played the clarinet in the men’s marching band. Today, he and his wife volunteer summers at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. They have three children and four granddaughters.

Larry Stevens (Psych) has been a professor in the department of psychological sciences at Northern Arizona University for 30 years. His research on chocolate’s effects on the brain during a mid-afternoon slump has received national recognition, especially since he found that chocolate made with 60 percent cacao content has a positive stimulating effect. “I owe my career in psychology to the influence of my many wonderful professors at CU in the late ’60s,” he writes.

Writer and teacher Jack Collom (Engl; MA’74) released Petals of Poetry, a book of poems he wrote with Isabella Martinez, a Boulder High School student he mentors. Some of the poems in the book are collaborations; others are individual compositions. Jack has published 25 volumes of his own poetry and has taught children and adults for nearly 40 years. He is the pioneer of the “Eco-Lit” ecology literature classes at Boulder’s Naropa University.

Pulitzer Prize-winning opera librettist Mark Campbell (Thtr) returned to CU this year to present seven scenes from Susan Smith, his 1998 opera. The opera is a psychological drama about a woman who drowned her two sons in a South Carolina lake in 1994. Mark has written 15 opera librettos, including Silent Night, which won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2012.

Whole Foods Market chairman John Elstrott (PhDEcon) gave the 2015 commencement speech at Louisiana State University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. John, who retired from Tulane in 2013 after teaching there for 30 years, joined Whole Foods’ board in 1994. He lives in New Orleans and Boulder.

Paperclay artist Rosette Gault (Comm) earned a PhD from the National Centre for Glass and Ceramics Art and Design of the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom. Her work with the paperclay medium began when she began to search for a more versatile clay body for her sculpture and pottery. It took her 20 years until a breakthrough and another 25 years of trial. She has contributed to 39 publications and four books, including her latest, Paperclay Art and Practice: The New Ceramics. Rosette has taught in more than 40 countries.

Continental Who’s Who recognized Stephen Mercer (Art, Psych) as a pinnacle professional in the energy industry. He works as a senior HR process consultant with Williams, an energy company based in Tulsa, Okla., and helps with organizational development, program management and performance assessment. Stephen is fluent in three languages, including Bisaya, which is spoken in the Philippines. He hopes to conduct process improvement training and consulting for businesses in the Philippines.

The digital money transfer provider Xoom appointed Chris Shimojima (IntlAf) to its board of directors. He will work as an independent board member, serving on the compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees. Chris is the CEO of Provide Commerce, a floral and gifting e-commerce retailer, and previously served as the vice president of global e-commerce at Nike for six years.