Class Notes
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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, […]
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Class of 2002 Rachelle Gold
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 […]
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Class of 1989 Jill Bronfman
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” […]
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Class of 1982 John Godwin
John Godwin‘s book, Strategic Direction from the President: A Century of US Foreign Policy, 1915-2015, was released on September 3.
Mary Fontana, Ph.D.’12 published her first book, Strangers in the Province of Joy: Practicing Radical Hospitality on the US-Mexico Border (Orbis Books) in May 2026. This nonfiction narrative follows the compelling journeys of individuals in order to illustrate the complex forces driving immigration across the US-Mexico border over the last half-century.
Dr. Andrea Louie, PhD ’96, published her third book, Chinese American Mothering: Toy Len Goon’s Legacy and the Myth of the Model Minority in December 2025. The book discusses her great grandmother’s story, focusing on her 1952 Maine and National Mother of the Year wins. Louie examines how her great grandmother’s story was used at the time to reinforce ideas about minorities and...
In the Fall 2026 term, Richard Grijalva, PhD ’20, begins his second year as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Arts and Humanities at St. Edward's University in Austin, TX. He is teaching courses in Writing and Rhetoric and Chicanx/Latinx Studies. While working at the Hilltop, he has rekindled his calling as an educator.
Joe Garrett ’70 writes: “I just retired from being on the Board of Directors of Pacific Premier Bank after twelve years as a Director. I’m still a partner at Garrett, McAuley & Co., and am still advising banks on asset-liability issues.
My first Cal football game was in 1956. It was an election year, and the Eisenhower campaign was passing out “I Like Ike” visors. It seemed like...
Jonathan Ezra Goldman ’94 published his fourth book, Hidden Histories of jazz Age New York from the Suppressed to the Strange (Suny Press Excelsior Editions, May 2026). The book chronicles overlooked communities and cultural revolutions of 1920s NYC, people and struggles that have been pushed to the margins of history.
Hidden Histories of jazz Age New York offers a fresh look at 1920s New...
Alan White ’69 writes: “Berkeley in the late 1960s was full of local and international concerns between the war in Vietnam and the many social issues one learns about at UC. Half way through a MBA program in 1970, I decided Peace Corps would be a better option so by 1971 I was learning Spanish and went to Ecuador with an assignment in the Galapagos Islands working with the Charles Darwin...
Jacqueline Jean Barrios, who graduated with a MA in Education & Credential-Multicultural Urban Secondary in 2003 and a BA in English with an emphasis on Multicultural Literature and Creative Writing in 2001, has recently published a new book titled Dear Charles Dickens, Love, South LA: Literature, Place, and Belonging.
Dear Charles Dickens, Love, South LA tells the story of how students...
Philip Ballou ’76, PhD ’83 is feeling thankful for the diversity and breadth of his experience during his 12 years at Cal. While majoring in music composition, he also enjoyed classes in biology and anthropology, as well as participating in UC Berkeley's Scientific Diving program. After being unable to find an academic job in music, he took a summer job at a local marine technology company,...
In 2026, UC Berkeley's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) celebrates its 100th anniversary as one of the original six NROTC units established by the U.S. Navy in 1926.
The program's first commanding officer and Professor of Naval Science was Captain Chester W. Nimitz, who later served as Commander of Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II, Chief of Naval Operations, and...
Rachelle Gold ’02 writes: “In May 2026, I was selected among a competitive group of applicants at North Carolina Central University, where I have been teaching since 2008, for the highest teaching award in public higher education in the state of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors' Award for Teaching Excellence. The award comes with a bronze medallion and a...
Daniel O. Jamison ’74 writes: “After over 42 years of doing mainly civil litigation, I retired from the practice of law in 2021. I had the unique experience of representing the defendants in the historical California Supreme Court "Wrongful Life" case of Turpin v. Sortini during my career. I also managed to keep from collapsing out of my chair onto the floor when, after a hard fought three...
Robert Brinkworth ’66 passed away suddenly January 26, 2026. He was born in Burbank to George and (Hilda) Louise Brinkworth and grew up in Burbank, Calif. While at UC Berkeley, he was a member of the track team from 1962-66. He was also active in the Order of the Golden Bear, Californians and Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
After college, he did one tour of duty in the Army in Quy Nhon, Vietnam...
