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Benjamin Simkin MD '44, emeritus endocrinologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, has authored more than 60 research articles in medical journals, and more than 30 musicologic articles, mostly on Mozart, in various journals. His most recent publication is a book, Medical and Musical By-ways of Mozartiana (Fithian Press), which reviews the historical contemporary evidence of Mozart’s possible Tourette Syndrome, its relationship to his well-documented personality idiosyncrasies, and its ech-oes in his music – “society music,” improvisations, rondo form and scenes from the Da Ponte operas.

Emery Stoops EdD, professor emeritus in the USC Rossier School of Education and recipient of the USC 1993 Distinguished Emeritus Award, has just authored his 17th book, The Homesteaders, a historical novel. Last December Stoops celebrated his 98th birthday and is working hard in a second career. When university policy then req-uired that he retire at age 65, he was sought as a board member of the San Fernando Life Insurance Co., later becoming the company’s president and changing its name to Penn-Pacific Life. In his second career, Stoops wrote Psychology of Success, in which he recommended “Never retire.” He became a California Licensed Agent for the sale of annuities, investment-type life ins-urance, IRAs and mutual funds, and has helped more than 200 families accumulate assets estimated at over $400,000,000. Stoops and his wife, Joyce, have been longtime supporters of USC. Their contributions have established the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean’s Chair in the USC Rossier School of Education, the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Education Library and 22 scholarships for Rossier School graduate students, among other gifts to the university. In excellent health, Stoops has no thought of retiring.
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Jack Kolbert MA '49 as written a book about his more than three-decades-long friendship with writer Elie Wiesel titled The Worlds of Elie Wiesel: An Overview of His Career and Major Themes, published by Associated University Presses. In his career Kolbert has been a college professor and/or department chair on 13 American and French campuses; city council president of Albuquerque, N.M.; honorary consul of France in New Mexico and the central California coast; high-ranking official of a major museum in San Francisco; college president on the west coast; and scholar and writer. Recently retired from the chairmanship of modern languages at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania as emeritus professor, he continues to teach and write.
50
John F. Dean EdD '66 retired in April from his decade-long post as Orange County Superintendent of Schools, after more than “50 years, nine months and six days” in public and private education. Prior to being elected County Superintendent in 1990, he was professor of education (now emeritus) at Whittier College for 21 years. His earlier experience included elementary school teaching, principal of Harbor View School, director of curriculum in Newport Beach schools and dean at Orange Coast College. Dean and his wife of 52 years, Katherine, live in Newport Beach.

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Ralph E. Lake MEd is retired and “enjoying the slow pace of Smalltown, U.S.A.” in Yates Center, Kan. After teaching one year in California, he joined Lederle Laboratories Division of American Cyanamid Co. as a sales representative, worked three years in the San Fernando Valley and was transferred to the Hawaiian Islands for nine years. He returned to Southern California and finished out a total of 34 years in Orange County, during which American Home Products purchased American Cyanamid.
55
Yoshio C. Nakamura has been selected for the 2001 Mathies Award by the Partners in Care Foundation of Burbank, Calif. The award salutes distinguished leaders for their vision and excellence in changing the shape of health care. Honkawa, currently a consultant for health care advocacy for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, recently retired as the vice president for government and industry relations for the center.
56
Richard Setlowe’s critically acclaimed novel The Deal has been republished by HarperCollins. “The Deal is an outstanding thriller, rivaling Michael Crichton in topicality, LeCarré in authority, and Martin Cruz Smith in emotional depth,” reviewed Les Standiford, director of the creative writing program at Florida International University. “This is Casablanca for the ’90s.” The Deal is Setlowe’s fifth novel. He has also taught in the Writers’ Program at UCLA for the past 14 years.
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Carl R. Terzian has been elected to the Corporate Circle of the Los Angeles Center Theatre Group, which raises funds and business and community awareness for the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum. He is a public relations consultant in Los Angeles. Terzian was student body president as an undergraduate at USC.

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Bion E. Lashier retired from his self-employed CPA and real estate firm and is now self-employed in the field of asset management and as a business manager. He also served as a professor of accounting and finance at Cal State Northridge in the ’80s. He married in 1996 for the first time.

Marilyn Tevriz Kezirian MEd ’62 was appointed to the national board of the American Medical Association Alliance and will chair the Health Promotions Committee. The AMA’s Alliance – 45,000 physicians’ spouses and a federation of state and county organizations – develops and implements health education and community service projects. In 1998, her five sons established the Aram Peter Kezirian, MD Memorial Lecture Series both in memory of their late father, a former obstetrician-gynecologist and Salerni Collegium board member, and in honor of her election as president of the California Medical Association Alliance. Marilyn’s father, the late Mihran M. Tevriz DDS ’16, began a three-generation USC tradition continued by her son, A. Peter Kezirian, Jr. JD ’89. Another son, Michael Tevriz Kezirian, is currently on the USC Department of Chemical Engineering faculty. Marilyn is past president of the Trojan Guild of Los Angeles and is currently serving on the board of Trojan League of Los Angeles.

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Don Brann EdD ’82, superintendent of Wiseburn School District, has celebrated 20 years as a California superintendent. In 1982 he co-founded the statewide Small School Districts Association, now 600 members strong. In the last four years he has run two successful school bond campaigns totaling $50 million.

Robert E. Lutz II, a 22-year member of the Southwestern University School of Law faculty and a leader in international and environmental law for more than 25 years, is the chair-elect of the American Bar Association Section on International Law and Practice. He will oversee the organization’s programs, publications, lobbying activities, and policy development and provide legal assistance to the United Nations and individual countries. In recent years, Lutz has become involved in international policy development and application.

69
Joseph Sirota MS, MBA ’74, has joined Ampersand Label Inc. as CFO-VP Planning. The firm, a state-of-the-art label manufacturer in its 20th year located in Orange County, was started by another USC “double” grad, Lowell Matthews MBA ’77, who is its CEO and chairman.

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W. Kurt Meier was appointed by the Internal Revenue Service as senior industry advisor to the Retailers, Food and Pharmaceuticals industry segment of the Large and Mid-Size Business Division. He is a Certified Public Accountant. A resident of Highland Park, Ill., Meier has been active in the USC Midwest Alumni Club for many years. He is a past president and has served in many other capacities. He won the USC Alumni Service Award in 1991. He has been married to Jean Arnold Meier since 1977 and has two children, one of whom, Tom, will start as a freshman at USC this fall. Tom has been named a Dean’s Scholar and a Presidential Scholar finalist.

Paula Rebert is the author of La Gran Linea: Mapping the United States-Mexico Boundary, 1849-1857, published by the University of Texas Press at Austin. The book documents the accomplishments of both U.S. and Mexican surveyors and mapmakers in the original United States-Mexico boundary survey, and the continuing importance of the maps they produced. It includes many reproductions of archival manuscript maps.

June Simmons MSW has been named one of only eight social workers in the United States as a Social Work Leadership Development Scholar by the Project on Death in America from one of the Soros Foundations. She is President/CEO of Partners in Care Foundation in Burbank, Calif. Simmons has been actively involved in the issues of aging’s implications on the health care system, death and dying, and safety nets for individuals and families at the point of crisis. She was also instrumental in creating the Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium, among the other projects of Partners. She is a past distinguished alumna award recipient from the USC School of Social Work.

Dale Salwak MA, PhD ’74, has written Faith in the Family: Honoring and Strengthening Home and Spirit, published by New World Library, which weaves together stories with observation and spiritual insight. A professor of English at Citrus (Calif.) College, Salwak has written 17 books on various contemporary literary figures, as well as editing Wonders of Solitude and The Words of Christ, both published by New World Library.

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Kim R. W. Bennetts has been appointed vice-president for Presco Incorporated, The Woodlands, Texas, where he will direct exploration and development programs throughout the United States and abroad. He has previously held geological and management positions with Conoco Inc., Kriti Exploration, Hugton Energy and Preston Exploration. He would like to acknowledge the contributions of professors Dick Stone and Donn Gorsline in helping him prepare for professional success.

James M. Dennis PhD, president of McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., has been elected president of the Associated Colleges of Illinois. The organization represents 24 private colleges and universities, which blend technical and professional competence with a core of liberal arts studies. McKendree College is ranked by US News & World Report as a “top tier midwest liberal arts college.” Prior to joining McKendree in 1994, Dennis had been vice president for student affairs at USC.

John Lilley DMA was named the 14th president in the 127-year history of the University of Nevada, Reno. Since 1980 he has been provost and CEO at Penn State Erie, which saw dramatic growth under Lilley, more than doubling its enrollment, raising admissions standards and lowering the teaching load to enhance its research mission. Four schools and professionally acc-redited programs were developed and the campus was doubled to 750 acres.

Ron Yary, former USC offensive tackle, was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a two-time All-American for the Trojans and won the Outland Trophy in 1967 as a member of USC’s 1972 national championship team. He was the No. 1 pick of the 1968 NFL draft and played 15 years for the Minnesota Vikings (1968-82) and then the Los Angeles Rams (1982). He played in Super Bowls IV, XIII, IX and XI. He joins eight former Trojan players and three ex-USC assistant coaches in the hall. Yary is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.


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Steven Buster has joined U.S. Trust Company, N.A., as managing director and director of private banking. With more than 25 years of experience, he will be responsible for managing the company’s private banking operations throughout the West Coast. Prior to joining U.S. Trust, Buster was chief operating officer of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. He resides in Pasadena with his family.

Robert G. Zahary MBA, PhD ’82, has been named to the presidency of Overseas Family College in Singapore. He previously held a number of positions in industry as well as academic posts in the California State University system, including associate vice president for operations on the Los Angeles campus, associate vice president for academic affairs and interim vice president for academic affairs on the Dominquez Hills campus, and coordinator of accreditation for the 23-campus system.


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Helios J. Hernandez II was appointed as judge of the Riverside County (Calif.) Superior Court.

Richard E. Kane PharmD, who owns and operates a pharmacy in Encino, rec-eived the distinguished Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding and continuing excellence in community pharmacy for the state of California. Along with other recipients throughout the country, he will be honored in Philadelphia this fall.


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Alumni by Year


Marriages

Births

Deaths

Alumni Profiles

Ben Burtt '75

Frank Ferrante '85

Martha Masters '00

In Memoriam

John Ferraro