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Alumnus of the Year and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta ‘53 headlined a roster of noteworthy Cal alumni at Charter Banquet on March 15. Held at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco and hosted by California Alumni Association president Mark Ornellas ‘71, the traditionally lavish event celebrated the 134th anniversary of the charter of the University of California, and this year included recognition of more than a dozen other CAA award winners. In one of his first public appearances since hip replacement surgery on January 31, Mineta, who was profiled in the December 2001 California Monthly, accepted a certificate of honor and was informed that a scholarship in his name will be given to a student next year. Mineta presented the evening’s keynote address, recounting his years at Cal with fondness and pride. “We were learning that the world was a much wider place than we had known before,” he recalled, “and that people like us could change it, and make it better.” Cal alumni continue to make the world better. The recognition portion of the program began by honoring the four Excellence in Achievement Award winners. The first honoree was Maria Echaveste, Boalt ‘80 (unable to attend). The oldest of seven children of farm workers, she was an accomplished bankruptcy litigator before joining Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign. As head of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in 1993, she developed a highly successful sweatshop eradication program. Echaveste was deputy chief of staff in the Clinton White House from April 1998 until the end of his term in 2001, the highest-ranking Latina in that administration.
Also honored was seismologist Norman Abrahamson ‘81, Ph.D. ‘85, who has performed ground-motion studies for the new eastern span of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge as well as for the design and retrofit of nuclear plants, bridges, dams, and high-rise buildings throughout the state and around the world. A former saxophonist with the Cal Band, he also volunteers his technical expertise for the Seismic and Structural Engineering Guidelines Committee on the Berkeley campus. Rounding out the roster of this year’s Achievement Award winners was James Schamus ‘82, a major player on the American independent film scene and producer of many critically acclaimed films. In 1991, Schamus co-founded the company Good Machine, which has produced more than 30 films, including this year’s multi-Oscar nominee In the Bedroom. Schamus has collaborated with director Ang Lee on films such as The Ice Storm, Sense and Sensibility, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (for which Schamus co-wrote the screenplay). He also is a professor of film theory, history, and criticism at Columbia University. Four alumni were recognized for their “Excellence in Service” to the Association, the University, and the community. The first recipient, Carol Kavanagh Clarke ‘60, is founding president of the Cal Spirit Alumni Club, which supports the continuation of campus traditions. As a CAA board member, Clarke personally endowed two leadership scholarships, and she has been a dedicated leader of the Gamma Phi Beta alumni club, the Alumni Club of Santa Clara County, and the Class of 1960 reunion committee. Noel Helmbrecht ‘60, a former Navy communications officer, has been a high school math teacher and athletic coach for 25 years, and has spent 11 summers as manager at the Lair of the Golden Bear. Throughout his term as a CAA board member and vice president, he was a champion of inclusionary design and the scholarship program, and he played a key role in establishing the Lair Staff Alumni Club. Helmbrecht is active in the Calaveras County Alumni Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the 4-H Club, and fosters a remarkable camaraderie amongst his students and colleagues.
A CAA board member since 1992, Alfredo Terrazas ‘74 contributed a strong sense of purpose to the organization and recently completed a two-year term as the CAA’s first Hispanic president. He serves on the board of the UC Berkeley Foundation and, in his professional life, is a deputy attorney general for the State of California, specializing in representing the state medical board. Attorney Alan Thaler ‘76 is a longtime member of the Orange County Alumni Club. During his tenure as club president (1992-96), membership more than doubled and the group received the Club of the Year Award. Thaler is a former CAA board member and the 2000 Mentor of the Year; he remains deeply involved with the CAA Awards Committee and the scholarship and mentorship programs. One of two Bradford S. King Awards, recognizing significant volunteer activities by a young alum, was given to Suszi Lurie ‘88. As a member of the CAA’s Young Alumni Council and a former Camp Gold staffer, Suszi was instrumental in developing Young Alumni Weekend at the Lair and recently helped produce the 50th Anniversary Lair CD. Also honored with a King Award was Theresa Ting Forster ‘94. As an officer of the West Los Angeles (Westside) Alumni Club, Forster has strengthened the Cal alumni network in southern California by developing a list of local alumni (which has quadrupled under her management). Allen Banez ‘88 was recognized as the Distinguished Mentor of the Year. Banez says mentoring enables him to give back to the student community and to make a difference in the world. He remains in contact with each of his seven previous mentees, and says “the most important aspect of the mentor program is that I will have another Cal friend for life.” Sherman Chin ‘95, Elizabeth Keenan ‘71, and Jennifer Wee ‘92 were also recognized as Honorable Mentors. Finally, two alumni clubs were recognized for their successful programs and service. The Chinese Chapter focuses on recruiting Asian Cal graduates and has made effective use of socials and mixers to capitalize on their network of successful members. The Cal Spirit Alumni Club, composed of alumni and friends of the various campus spirit groups-cheerleaders (known today as the dance squad), yell leaders, Oski, and the Rally Committee-is dedicated to insuring the continuation of Cal’s rich traditions. Both clubs are dedicated to serving two distinct and vibrant parts of Cal’s diverse social fabric, and perform outstanding service to current students and the University. The Robert Gordon and Ida W. Sproul Award recognizes two seniors for achievement in the student community and in scholarly endeavor. This year, awards were presented to both the 2001 and 2002 winners at Charter Banquet.
Jennifer Chang ‘02 has been an ASUC officer, a teaching assistant, and served on the Academic Senate Committee on Admissions, Enrollment, and Preparatory Education. Rishi Doshi ‘02 has worked with the Berkeley Suitcase Clinic for the Homeless and held numerous internships in preparation for medical school. As the current ASUC president, Wally Adeyemo ‘03 proved to be a unifying force on campus following the events of September 11; his address at the September 17 Memorial Service was memorable and moving. Heidi Obermeit ‘03, a Conservation and Resource Studies major plans to become a local community organizer to help solve the many social, environmental, and public health problems facing society. |
 Norman Y. Mineta '53 leads the band at Charter Banquet Photo by Kristen Loken
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