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1940s

Richard Lee Arrowood (1945), winemaker of Arrowood and Amapola wines, has been in the wine business for about 50 years.

Phillip J. Patiño (1949), a longtime Fresno educator and administrator, had a Fresno school posthumously named after him on North Clark Street.

 

1950s

Raymond F. Ensher (1956) received two awards from the California Retired Teachers’ Association: Ron Ely Award for Communications and Mickey Matheson Award for Advocacy.

Satoshi F. Hirayama (1952) was one of the first Japanese-Americans to play professional baseball in Japan after World War II.

 

1960s

Hal Kissler (1968) stepped down from his CEO role at Manco Abbott to become chairman of the board. Kissler plans to retire in 2018.

Robert H. Oliver (1966) was named Granville Homes’ Person of the Year in the 2015 Winter edition of Granville Lifestyle magazine.

Jim Pardini (1968) opened The Annex Kitchen, an Italian-inspired restaurant.

Virginia Walton Pilegard (1966) won the Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – Bilingual award at the 2015 International Latino Book Awards in San Francisco for her book “Grandfather Ratoncito Perez and the Apprentice Tooth Fairy.”

 

1970s

Charles “Chuck” Ahlem (1972), dairy producer, was named California’s 2015 Agriculturalist of the Year by the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors in Sacramento.

Wayne Barber (1974) owns Wonder Land Comics in the Tower District, which sells toys, games, magazines and stacks of comics.

Bruce Batti (1977), owner and operator of Jeffrey Scott Advertising, was awarded the Fresno Advertising Federation’s 2015 Agency of the Year honor.

Ron Bertolucci (1975), Columbia Credit Union’s vice president and manager of business lending, has joined the Clark College Foundation board.

Jim Boren (1972) was named Fresno City College’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus.

Dennis Alan Brown (1971) retired after a 56-year career in radio broadcasting, print journalism and the aerospace industry, the last 18 years in the public affairs office at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

Lilia Chavez (1977) is director at the Fresno Arts Council.

Robert “Bobby” Fena (1973) was named a top performer for 2014 by Colliers International, a commercial real estate firm.

Janet Gaard (1979), Yolo Superior Court judge, was appointed to the Language Access Plan Implementation Task Force to help advise courts on interpreter needs.

Robert Hanford (1974) is Fresno’s environmental control officer.

Ben Krikorian (1972) earned the 2014-15 Outstanding Rotarian of the Year award from the Fresno Sunrise Rotary Club.

David M. Koehler (1979) is director for the Sonoma Land Trust.

Steve LeVa (1977) was appointed senior vice president and senior relationships manager for 1st Capital Bank.

Carolyn Clark Loder (1975) was featured in Management Today magazine as senior land manager for Lafarge North America’s Western U.S. aggregate and concrete division.

Elpidio S. Munoz (1977) retired this spring as director of microbiology after 30 years with Lyons Magnus and Wawona Frozen Foods.

Maxwell V. Norton (1976, ’77), director and adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Merced and Mariposa counties, retired after 36 years.

Ron Orozco (1974) retired after writing for The Fresno Bee for over 41 years.

Michael Preslik (1979, ’89) retired from Hurley Elementary in Visalia Unified School District after 26 years.

Steve Rontell (1979) was named a 2014 Top Performer and Everest Club Member, which recognizes the top 10 percent of Colliers International realtors in North America.

Carol E. Scott (1972, ’76) is now CEO of Children’s Discovery Museum in Rancho Mirage.

 

1980s

Joseph Albano (1987) is now director of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center.

Nancy Avila (1984) is owner of Core Connection, an exercise studio in Cedar Center.

Alex Azodi (1984), founder of Omega Structural Engineers, PLLC, in Newbury, was selected as the 2015 New Hampshire Engineer of the Year.

Scott Barnes (1986, ’93), a former Bulldogs basketball standout, is now athletic director for the University of Pittsburgh.

Dianne Cox (1988, ’91) is now vice president of human resources for Kaweah Delta Health Care District.

Michael Cruse (1982) was named Social Worker of the Year by the Santa Barbara unit of the National Association of Social Workers. He works at Hospice of Santa Barbara.

Patricia Ann Eichhorn (1988) is an executive assistant at Fresno City Hall.

Tom Hallinan (1984) was named city attorney for Ceres.

Carolyn Hogg (1985), Fresno’s chief information officer, was named one of Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2015.

Tracy Hostmyer (1988), producing director and actor, is co-founder of the Roust Theatre Company in New York City.

Steven Jolly (1988), managing director of investments for the Fresno office of Wells Fargo Advisers, was named a President’s Premier Adviser for the 20th straight year.

Stacy Kunishige (1985) is managing partner of new Japanese restaurant KuniSama, offering teppanyaki and traditional dishes in the Fresno-Clovis area.

Bernice Ledbetter (1981), business and management faculty at Pepperdine University, received a $150,000 grant to start a center for women in leadership.

Christopher Jay Long (1987) is the director of marketing at Valley Children’s Hospital.

Michael Lulejian (1988) is now president of Producers Financial Group West Brokerage General Agency.

Dr. Michael Maurer (1985, ’89), agriculture associate professor, received a Stephen F. Austin State University Teaching Excellence award.

Claire Rowland Mendoca (1985) was named Tulare County Panhellenic Woman of the Year.

Christopher Nola (1988, ’96) is director of workforce planning at Valley Children’s Hospital.

Maury “Duffy” Peck (1983), owner of Sumner Peck Winery in Madera, received two silver medals in the Toast of the Coast competition in San Diego County.

Stacey Phillips (1989) is deputy district attorney of Fresno County.

Stephen Provost (1986) authored the new paperback, “Fresno Growing Up: A City Comes of Age 1945-1985.”

Peter Reynosa (1988) wrote his first novel, “The Vulgarist.”

John Rich (1985) is now managing editor for The Fresno Bee.

Pamela Shaw (1981), costume and make-up director at Santa Barbara City College, has made costumes for the movie “The Artist,” has dressed the cast of the TV show “The Vampire Diaries” and helped design the Energizer Bunny.

Daniel Silva (1983), the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, has released his novel, “The English Spy.”

Fred Smith (1982), athletic trainer for 31 years at Bakersfield College, was inducted into the California Community College Athletic Trainers’ Association.

Janet Stoll-Lee (1980) was featured in Central Valley Magazine’s “25 things you didn’t know about …”

Keith Swinger (1981) and his Fresno Wells Fargo home mortgage teammate Latishia Sharer earned the top 10 percent award nationally in February.

 

1990s

Michael Allen (1994) is now managing broker at Century 21 Jordan-Link & Co.

Johnny Amaral (1998) is now deputy general manager for external affairs for Westlands Water District of California.

Jeena Andrews (1995) has joined agricultural company mOasis as a technical sales manager.

Paul J. Bauer (1995) was designated a Northern California Super Lawyer, a distinction received by 5 percent of eligible attorneys.

Pamela Belding (1992) wrote “You’re the Boat,” a book about how to build a life worth looking forward to.

Heather Berg (1999) is project coordinator at Central California Children’s Institute.

Sandra Bolt (1990) co-authored a book titled “Professionalism: Skills for Workplace Success.” The fourth edition came out in January.

Michael Feldman (1995) is now head of the wealth markets union for Union Bank.

Dr. Bertha Felix-Mata (1996), an administrator for West Hills Community College, authored “Dandelions in the Wild: The Voices of Migrant Youth from Poverty to Leadership.”

Terance Frazier (1995), project developer, and LeRoy Candler Jr., president of the Fresno branch of the NAACP, were 2015 inductees to the Wall of Honor at the African American Historical and Cultural Museum at the State Center Community College District.

Matt Gamble (1992, ’94) is principal at Washington Elementary School in Hanford.

Eloy Garcia (1994) is a partner at KP Public Affairs.

Lance Gault (1999) joined the team of physicians at the Fresno Kaiser Permanente Hospital.

Tina Good (1993, ’96), English professor at Suffolk Community College, spoke at the North Country Community Colleges commencement ceremony. She was awarded the 2015 President’s Award for Excellence in Education.

Lori Ann Grace (1998) is director of curriculum and instruction for Twin Rivers Unified School District in Sacramento.

Marcie Green (1994) is now pitching coach for Oregon State softball.

Jacob Hall (1999) is the foreign service officer at the U.S. Embassy in Australia.

Matthew Hart (1998) is now vice principal at Joe Michell K-8 School in Livermore Valley.

Shelley Benner Heinrichs (1996) and her team at Proclaim Interactive received a Gold Wallie Award and a Silver Wallie Award from the Carolinas Health Care Public Relations and Marketing Society. They also won a Gold Award for best site design from the Strategic eHealthcare Leadership Awards.

David Hemink (1990) is now president of Medivators Division for Cantel Medical Corp.

Mary F. Lerner (1997) was named by Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars as one of the top up-and-coming young attorneys in Northern California.

Tejpal Singh Mahil (1999) of Madera was named to the University Advisory Board.

Jodee Lynn Marcellin (1992) is the grants and program coordinator at Sanger Unified School District.

Gina Meyers (1994) is the author of “Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook.”

Brent Miller (1995, 2001) is now sergeant at the Visalia Police Department.

Beau Plumlee (1999) was named a top performer for 2014 by Colliers International, a commercial real estate firm.

Ron Rivers (1993), a former Fresno State and NFL running back, will be inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in November.

Heather Taylor (1997, 2002), owner of Taylor’d Physical Therapy and Wellness, creates individualized physical-therapy routines.

Timothy John Woods (1992) is vice president of instruction at Fresno City College.

Dan Zack (1997) is assistant planning director for Fresno’s high-speed rail.

Debra Zamora (1999) is quality management officer for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction.

 

2000s

Grant G. Bedrosian (2008, ’11) teaches sixth grade in Central Unified School District.

Peter Carrion (2001) of JP Marketing was awarded the Fresno Advertising Federation’s 2015 Creative Talent of the Year award.

Sandy Cha (2005) is community affairs officer for Wells Fargo Foundation.

Matt De Fina (2001) is part of De Fina Family Cellars winery in Napa Valley.

Brian Ekmanian (2003) is a senior commercial client manager at Bank of America.

Jose Jesus Elias (2004, ’12), art teacher at West Hills Community College, showcased 11 of his works at the Madera Arts County Circle Gallery.

Barry Falke (2001) is director of the American Red Cross Central Valley.

Allison Ferry-Abee (2009) is viticulture adviser for the University of California.

Derek Franks (2007) is general manager for the Fresno Grizzlies.

Kendra Fisher (2014) is tennis coach for Estancia High in Costa Mesa.

Ricardo Alejandro Gabaldon (2002) is teaching Ballet Folklorico at Righetti High School.

Brittany Giersch (2007) is manager of lululemon athletica in Fig Garden Village.

Rachel Goerzen (2007) earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tennessee.

Audrey Goral (2008) is operational flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base.

April Graff (2006) is a police officer in Bear Valley.

Rebecca Hellwig (2009) is communications manager at the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.

Bonnie Her (2004) is a family practice doctor at Community Medical Providers.

Keith Hock (2007) created Hock Wines, a consulting business.

Brenna Hughes (2006) organized the second Central Valley Concussion Symposium.

Virginia Hull (2008) is a science teacher at Phoenix Secondary School.

Rafael Iniguez (2008) is career and technical education director for Parlier Unified.

Christina Louise Kwock (2008) earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

David Kwalwasser (2000) is geomatics engineer for high speed rail.

Benjamin J. Maddox (2002) is senior VP and market manager for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Joshua McDonald (2008) earned a scholarship to Boston University to pursue his Ph.D. in philosophy.

Darrin Monteiro (2009) was appointed to the 24th District Agricultural Association, Kings Fair board.

Brandi Muro (2001, ’04) is program director for the California Health Collaborative.

Christy Nance-Chastain (2002, ’10) is pediatric nurse practitioner at Adventist Health/Community Care-Orosi.

Chris Ruiz (2000), sports information specialist for Long Beach City College, earned the Bringing Respect and Superior Service to our Profession or BRASS Top Award.

Terra Dawn Schmidt (2004) is head athletic trainer at Yavapai College.

Kennan Torgerson (2005) is band director for Palmetto High.

Mark Torres (2008, ’10) is account manager at TechValidate Software in Emeryville.

Pedro Santana (2004), director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley, Inc., was featured in The Business Journal.

David Vartanian (2007) created an annual $1,000 scholarship for a Fresno State pre-veterinary major in memory of his English bulldog Mr. Murphy.

Ian Wieland (2007) is an attorney at Sagaser, Watkins and Wieland PC.

Quinn Zweigle (2008, ’13) is director of research development at the National Raisin Company.

 

2010s

Diana Aguilera (2013) won the Golden Mike Award for Best Investigative Reporting from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California for “One Year after the Rim Fire, Locals Share Frustration over Prosecutor’s Silence.”

Denise Altounian (2014) interned for Armenian National Committee of America.

Bill Betts (2012) is president and chief operating officer for Betts Company.

David Campos (2010), who teaches English at Fresno City College, earned the 2014 Andres Montoya Poetry Prize, presented by The Institute for Latino Studies at University of Notre Dame.

Ashley De Young (2011) is vice president of marketing at De Young Properties. She also works as a singer and songwriter under the name Shannon Ashley.

Maria Del Refugio Bonilla (2012) is now nurse practitioner at the Family Health Care Network at the Cutler-Orosi Health Center.

Dana Ferris (2012) earned Valley Children’s Healthcare Education Nurse of the Year.

Marcos Flores (2015) started BaySick Leather company.

Fabiola Gonzalez (2014) is policy and communications officer at First 5 Fresno County.

Julie Hamilton (2013) is a registered dietitian at Family HealthCare Network, Goshen Health Center.

Brian Johnston (2013) is an officer for Pleasanton Police Department.

Marissa Markarian (2012) of Jeffrey Scott Agency was awarded the Fresno Advertising Federation’s 2015 Rising Star Individual.

Jesus Marmolejo (2013) is a California Highway Patrol officer in Hollister-Gilroy.

Marissa McPhail (2010) is international marketing director at Culinary Competitions International.

Esteban Miranda (2013) has opened Miranda’s Thrift Shop in Atwater.

Jaime Moncayo (2012) is organizer for Transportation Alternatives of Queens in New York.

Matt Morse (2010) of KMPH FOX 26 was awarded the Fresno Advertising Federation’s 2015 Professional of the Year.

Robert Musso (2012) is an officer for the Selma Police Department.

Paul Myers (2011, ’13) is assistant editor for the Foothills Sun-Gazette.

Autumn Noelle Pierce (2010), wife of Philadelphia Eagles receiver Seyi Ajirotutu (2010), stars in “WAGS, The Hottest Wives and Girlfriends in Sports” on E!.

Jodi Raley (2015) is director of regulatory affairs for the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations and the Western Agricultural Processors Association.

Jordan Rangel (2013) is operations and senior account manager for Ricana Media Group.

Quinn Robinson (2014) is sports writer for The