Class Notes
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Dora Silva, ’09 writes: “I was born in Guatemala and joined my mom in California at six. In 2004, I opened my Berkeley acceptance email at a FedEx store because we didn’t have internet at home, my mom and abuelita beside me. Cal became my home—and in 2007 I helped found the Delta Omicron chapter […]
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Class of 1967 John Kinch
John Kinch ’67 writes: “After leaving Cal, I taught English at Macomb Community College in Michigan for 40 years. In March of 1971, Seamus Heaney came there to read fine poetry from his first book, Death of a Naturalist. He was unknown to us in those days, but later he rose to become one the […]
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Class of 2012 Ian Goodale
Ian Goodale ’12‘s debut novel, Molehills in Heaven, was released on Oct. 13 by Diachroneity Books. With a narrative form mirroring the upward collapse of the tetractys symbol, Molehills in Heaven tangles together classical adventure fantasy, creation myths, and philosophical musing—plus miles and miles of similes wrought in baroque style—to confuse and delight the adventurous […]
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Class of 1975 Nelson Barry
Nelson Barry ’75 has been focusing on representing clients and plaintiffs in serious injury personal injury and wrongful death cases since 1992 when he established the Law office of Nelson Barry in San Francisco. Most of Mr. Barry’s clients are injured in auto/motorcycle/bike accidents, dog attacks, slip or trip and fall incidents, and workplace injuries. […]
Allison Charalambous '02 is the VP of Responsible Sourcing and Sustainability at Brilliant Earth, a San Francisco founded company and global leader in ethically sourced fine jewelry. Allison directs the company's traceability programs across global supply chains for diamonds, colored gemstones, and precious metals.
Allison leads the team responsible for vendor compliance across loose gemstone...
Mike Lopus '08, vice president of Colliers Santa Barbara, penned OpEd, "Behind a Commercial Real Estate Deal: How Brokers and Attorneys Work Together" for the October edition of Santa Barbara Lawyer.
Amy Haroldson (née Henson) '89 has published Sunday at the Oxford Paranormal Institute, a paranormal mystery set in England, where she now lives. Reviewers describe the novel as "witty and atmospheric" and "a clever interpretation of the earnest human desire to make sense of the unknown."
Susan Alcorn '74 is proud to announce the publication of her sixth hiking book. In Miles of Kindness: Tales from the Trail, readers will enjoy the stories of the thirty-three hikers who share how they have found inspiration and comfort from trail angels and trail magic.
In Inga Aksamit’s "Angels at Hell Hole" she tells how she was rescued by eight-year-old Natalie when backpacking in the...
Eric E. Wallace, '62, has published his ninth book, Sweet Paradox. It's an anthology of 17 of Eric's short stories and a novella. With settings from Alaska to Africa, there are tales of secrets, longing, missed opportunities, epiphanies and second chances. Eric is now working on his tenth book (his sixth novel).
"I guess I'm still hoping to prove one of my old Cal English profs wrong," laughs...
Gerald H. Yamada '66 received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, from the Government of Japan on behalf of the Emperor of Japan for his lifetime contributions to improving the social status of Japanese-Americans and promoting friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. The ceremony was held on June 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C. at the Embassy of Japan...
Murray Cantor '69, PhD '73, writes: "I earned my doctorate in mathematics under Jerrold Marsden and began teaching math at Duke and UT Austin. I then moved into industry, applying math across a variety of fields, and retired as a Distinguished Engineer at IBM. After that, I built and sold a small startup and used the proceeds to fund a charitable remainder trust benefiting UC Berkeley. My third...
Bruce Benway, PhD '93, has co-authored a book titled Deep Cuts of American Literature: A Guide to Little-Known Works by Big-Name Writers (McFarland & Company, August 2026). Focusing on 70 works ranging from the Colonial Period to the present and reflecting a broad spectrum of styles, genres and historical perspectives, Deep Cuts presents an eclectic collection of pieces by authors such as...
Terry Healey ’86 writes, “Thrilled to announce that my latest book, The Resilience Mindset: How Adversity Can Strengthen Individuals, Teams, and Leaders, has won a National Indie Excellence Award. I overcame a life-threatening cancer that left me with a permanent facial difference when I was a junior at Berkeley. I encountered roadblocks for years afterwards, enduring over 30 surgical...
Rachelle Gold '02 writes, "I won a 5-year $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to create an oral history archive of Black women justice-seekers who are alumnae of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), where I have taught English, Composition, African American Literature, World Literature, and Grammar since 2008. So far, I have trained 80 students to conduct oral history interviews of 40...
Jill Bronfman '89 writes, "I'm excited to share that I have a new book available for pre-sales, Second Cities, which is a beautifully-illustrated slim volume of narrative poems that I wrote about the less-traveled cities of the world.
Second Cities is a book of poems that takes a sideways glance at the world. "Second City" refers to Chicago, but also to all of the second and third and fourth...
John Godwin's book, Strategic Direction from the President: A Century of US Foreign Policy, 1915-2015, was released on September 3.
