Julie Carr
Dan Ahern, Class Secretary for 1976, has received several wonderful notes from ’76ers in the past several months. Maybe everyone is thinking about our 50th Reunion!!
Here are a few:
Dave Funkhouser was inducted into the HAWAII ASPHALT HALL OF FAME. Always humble, Dave did not mention this in his popular podcast (Make Mine Peach Pie!), and only when one of his regular callers gave him a shout out did he acknowledge this immensely prestigious award.
Katrinka Ruk continues her tremendous work as a board member for Canine Guardian Assistance Dogs of Napa. Back when she was a freshman in Freeborn Hall, Katrinka often brought Guido, her Belgian Malanois, and entertained residents of Unit 1 as she put Guido through obstacle courses. Katrinka was known to say, “Guido is smarter than my friends in the boys’ dorm!” The men of Putnam Hall could not disagree.
Mike Scardino, founding member of The Mandinga Warriors IM Softball team, is nearly finished his tell-tale book entitled Behind the Mic. For nearly 30 years, Mike was the eyes and ears for the SF Giants’ broadcast teams. Long before there was exit velocity, bat speed, and weird looking bats, Mike was THE go-to guy who understood the inner workings of major league baseball better than 99 percent of the young people today who rely purely on statistics. The only thing Mike could not do, was take the curse off of Pedro Cerrano’s bad during that ’83 season.
Nelson Sagisi, pride of Santa Maria, is an avid fisherman! Also, to the delight of many of his former Cal Baseball pals, Nelly is coming out of retirement to play in the Arizona Senior Men’s World Series. When asked what his NIL bonus was, Nelson quipped, “All the BenGay I want, plus I can use a gardening stool to sit on when I’m catching!” Attaboy Nelson!
Tom Bowe, pride of Wurster Hall, and once voted #1 Hasher on Sorority Row, is nearly finished with his memoir, whose working title is How Top Dog Got Me Through Cal! If Tom sells the rights to a studio, his old friend George Clooney will play the aging but always witty Tom.
Dennis Barfield, once a star baseball player in Japan, plays a lot of tennis with his lovely wife, Liz, at their favorite Berkeley court. Dennis, a Cal Baseball All-America, stays in shape by teaching Zumba classes. At first, they were online, but now he runs 2 or 3 classes four times a week! C’mon Dennis! Get OLD!
Dave Kovac, one of the more coveted speakers in higher education, routinely leads Habitat for Humanity trips. The erudite Dave, also a budding stand-up comic, credits his days as a CalSO Counselor to his ability to keep fans laughing. Dave, who has opened for some of the BIGGEST comics back in the day, routinely turned down main act gigs because he also had that lucrative endorsement contract for Mennen. Dave and Cal alumna wife, Natalie, reside in Corvallis and keep folks up there giggling!
More to follow!
Class Secretary: Dan Ahern, 21 Sea Wolf Passage, Corte Madera 94925
