Santa Clara Magazine

Glenn J. Cahalan MBA '78 passed away on March 16th, 2011. He is survived by his wife Hannah, his son Patrick, his mother Dorothy, siblings Don, Kathy, Richard and Ellen and many nieces and nephews.

Brian P. Beasley ’78, born 2/4/55, passed away on 9/29/12. A resident of Dublin, Brian died suddenly at the age of 57. Brian grew up in Cupertino and lived his last 12 years in Dublin, CA. After graduating from Santa Clara University, Brian went on to a career in the food industry as a food broker. Brian is survived by his wife of 21 years, Charlene and his daughters Elizabeth and Rebecca. Brian is also survived by his parents, Ralph and Betty Beasley and brother Patrick. A devoted husband and father, Brian enjoyed all aspects of life including sports, music, laughter, and quality time with family and friends.

Stanley John Skidmore MS ’79 died on October 9, 2010 in Layton, Utah. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 4, 1947, to Helen Glauser and Arthur John Skidmore Jr. Stan was an active person who loved all sports and the outdoors. He was an avid golfer and mountain biker. He also loved woodworking and created many beautiful things for his home and yard. An electrical engineer by profession, he worked at Iomega Corp. for 20 years. He received his B.S. from the University of Utah and M.S. from the University of Santa Clara. He served in the Vietnam conflict as a naval officer. He served a mission in the Franco-Belgian Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1966-1968. A dedicated volunteer, Stan tutored math students at the detention center in Roy. Stan is survived by his wife, Kathleen McDonald, son, Jeremy (Jessica), daughter, Melinda Taylor (Jason), son, Brett (Brittany), daughter, Lindsay Hickman (Blaine), father, Arthur Skidmore Jr., sisters, Christi Heal (Robert), and Shelley Kendall (Michael), and his 11 grandchildren, the joys of his life. He was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Helen Glauser Skidmore. 

Ronald James Gomes J.D. '79, a Nellis Air Force Base Internet Administrator (Web Master), passed away April 13, 2011. Ron had a law degree from the University of Santa Clara law school, and an MBA and a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University. A U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, he was born Jan. 13, 1946, in San Jose, Calif., and had been a resident of Nevada since 1960. Ronald is survived by his mother, Mildred; brothers, Geoffrey, Dennis, and Stephen; four nieces; and six nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Stephen; and his brother, Douglas Paul.

Norman D. Vesely MBA '79 died on January 17, 2010.

Natalia Ortiz Mead ’79 was born on April 23, 1923, and passed away on December 26, 2012. A resident of Sunnyvale, she married William E. Mead Jr. and raised two daughters, two sons, and two grandsons. She served in the U.S. Army as an aircraft mechanic, 1943-1944. A retired WWII Veteran, she was an alumnus of Santa Clara University and a retired English teacher. Mead was a dedicated 49ers and Giants fan. She coached childrens' sports. Home was always open to friends. Survived by son Michael, daughter Marguerite, and 8 grandchildren. 

Loris “Lori” Louise Lynch ’79, age 54, passed away during the early morning hours of Dec. 12, 2011, due to heart failure in her home in Chandler, Ariz. Born in San Francisco, she was the first-born child to ballet teacher Adrienne Elaine Lynch (McHugh) of Adrienne Elaine Dance Studios and San Francisco Police Sgt. Maurice Joseph Lynch  Jr.,  both of San Francisco. She grew up in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood of San Anselmo and spent her summers working in Lake Tahoe, traveling with family and spending time at her beloved Camp Mather in Yosemite. Some of her fondest memories and friendships were made during her high school and college years. She attended The San Domenico School for Girls (1971–1975), and then went on to complete a B.A. at Santa Clara University (1975–1979), followed by a nursing degree (B.S.) at Boston University. After completing her studies, Lori had a long and fruitful career in medical sales. She also was an active member of the San Francisco Junior League for years before transferring to the Scottsdale chapter. On October 3,  2003,  during a beautiful ceremony overlooking the San Francisco Bay,  Lori married Richard J. Nelson of Wisconsin at the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito. Together, they lived in Sausalito and San Rafael, before retiring to Arizona,  where they split their time between Chandler and Pinewood (Munds Park). Lori's love for travel continued after marriage with explorations to Africa, Asia, Europe, and Hawaii with her husband. As an avid cruiser, Mexico and the Caribbean were her favorites. Lori was best described as quick-witted and sharp. She loved hearty discussions, whether they were about politics, history, or a debate over a Trivial Pursuit question. She will be missed and is survived by her husband, Richard J. Nelson of Chandler, Ariz., Steven Gregory Lynch (brother) of Scottsdale, Kerri Patrice Lynch (sister) of Scottsdale, Richard Craig Lynch (brother), and family Zuzy Martin Lynch (sister-in-law) and Craig Maurice Lynch (beloved nephew) of Larkspur, Calif.

Joyce Marilyn McLean ’79 died Dec. 13,  2011. A resident of Los Gatos, Joyce,  the oldest child of John and Bertha Ellman, was born in Chicago,  attended the University of Chicago Laboratory School ,followed by the University of Chicago College, and earned a Hutchins BA at the age of 18 and a master's in Learning Disabilities from the University of Santa Clara. In 1959 with husband Doug and, at the time, three children, she moved to Perth, Australia, for three years. In Perth her social activism and concern for the treatment of Australian aborigines led her to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), an organization started in 1915 in response to the horrors of WWI. On return to the U.S. in San Jose and Santa Cruz, she continued work with WILPF for 50 more years with stints as an office holder both for U.S. WILPF and on the executive committee of International WILPF. Through the Vietnam War,  she participated in weekly vigils at the San Jose Induction Center. In May 1966,  long before the mass protests, she and three other women, the “Napalm Ladies,” in an act of civil disobedience, blocked the loading of napalm destined for Vietnam. In a jury trial for “interfering with lawful business,” the defense was permitted to introduce into evidence the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 and the Nuremberg Judgments establishing the case that use of napalm violated International Law. The jury found them guilty. As a speaker at a subsequent demonstration organized from Stanford University at the port of Redwood City,  she was interviewed by New York Times’ Tom Wicker, who recounted the profound impact of their conversation that spurred him to investigate and report on the breadth of the peace movement and the moral injustice of the war. Pete Seeger wrote and recorded two songs about the Napalm Ladies. Joyce, now raising six children, taught at night in volunteer programs for English learners. In the mid-seventies,  she was elected to serve on an all-women school board of the Loma Prieta School District. In less than one term, they were recalled for,  among other things, “trying to ram excellence down the throats of the community.” She, with a partner, went on to run a successful business where they tutored clients from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Governor Jerry Brown's first term reorganization of the Department put an end to that. She ran a school for a group home before becoming a coordinator and teacher for the Santa Cruz County Volunteer Center's ESL Program until health issues forced her retirement. In 1995, with hundreds of other women from a dozen countries, she rode on a WILPF organized Peace Train from Helsinki to Beijing through Russia,  Belarus,  Romania,  Bulgaria,  Turkey,  Kazakhstan,  and China,  meeting with local peace activists and engaging them in workshops on the train. Joyce was an inveterate writer of Letters to the Editor. She read history,  biography,  sociology, and politics at a rate of two books per week. She was a devotee of Amy Goodman's Democracy Now. Joyce, especially as a Jew, was passionate about Israel-Palestine and Palestinian rights and was appalled by Israeli policy and that it was facilitated by the U.S. Quick witted, eager for discussion and debate with ready humor, a wonderful wife and mother, Joyce was our family's moral compass. Knowing that she was near death, which she accepted as a blessing, she brought us together for her final days to say goodbye. Immediate survivors are husband Doug, children Debra,  Ken,  Ruth,  Rebecca,  and David,  twelve grandchildren,  brother Michael and his children Bruce and Carol.

John Marvin Langholff '79 passed away on June 5, 2011 surrounded by his loving family. Beloved son of Marianne Langholff Morrisey and the late Marvin Langholff '58. Loving father of Daniel and Allison Langholff. Dearest brother of Mary Anne (Bill) Delaney '72, Joanie (Tom) Biniek '73, Nancy '76 and his twin brother Jim (Joan) Langholff. Graduate of St. Christophers, Bellarmine College Prep and Santa Clara University where he played Rugby. John loved to barbecue for family and friends and was an avid fan of the 49ers and Giants. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

James A. ‘Jim’ Roberts '74, Ph.D. '79, 65, passed away September 5, 2009, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, after a courageous bout with cancer. He was born on March 11, 1944, in Vandalia, Ill., the son of James and Marjorie ('Toad') Roberts, both of whom preceded him in death. Jim grew up in Chanute where he graduated from Chanute High School in 1962 as student body president. He attended the University of Kansas, where he joined the Sigma Nu fraternity and became commander. He graduated in 1966 with a BS in Electrical Engineering, graduating first in his class. Jim moved to the Boston area, where he worked for RCA on the NASA Apollo moon mission project. During this time, he also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1968. In 1969, Jim moved to the Silicon Valley area, where he worked in the high-tech aerospace industry until 1983. While in Northern California, Jim obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University. In 1983, Jim moved to the Denver area where he took over the management of a major aerospace project for TRW Inc., (now part of Northrup Grumman). He eventually became the manager of TRW-Denver. In 1990, he fulfilled a life- long dream and returned to Lawrence to become professor and Chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Kansas. Beginning in January 1998, Jim served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Public Service and later as Associate Vice- Provost. He was the vice-provost for research from 2003 until 2007. In 2007, he returned to teaching as a full- time professor. During his time at KU, Jim also served as the president and chief operating officer of the KU Center for Research, Inc., and on Senator Pat Roberts' Advisory Committee on Science, Technology, and the Future. Among his numerous other professional, civic, and charitable activities, Jim served on the founding board of the Douglas County ECO2 Commission, the committee that wrote the Douglas County Bioscience Plan. He also served as president of the board of Big Brothers of Denver, president of the noon Kiwanis in Lawrence, and a fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Personal interests included reading, genealogy, collecting Russian stamps, and spending time with family and friends at Grand Lake, Okla. He was particularly proud of his personal library, his ability to mix a great martini, and most importantly, his family. Jim married his childhood sweetheart, Carol Diane Helton, in June 1965. Other survivors include his son, Mike Roberts and his wife Anita of Overland Park, Kan.; his daughter, Sally Roberts Gorzelanski and her husband Mike of Littleton, Colo.; his four grandchildren, Abby Roberts, Jake Roberts, Max Gorzelanski and Hank Gorzelanski; his sister, Nancy Castellucci; his parents-in- law, Bill and Barbara Helton; his brother- in-law, Richard Helton and his wife Mechalina; his sister-in-law, Joan Myers and her husband Ken; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Isamu "Sam" Yoshida J.D. ’79 passed away peacefully July 4, 2012 at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital in California. He was born in Nagoya, Japan, in December 1945 and permanently moved to the U.S. with his mother, stepfather and siblings in 1960. He graduated in 1964 from Rancho High School in Las Vegas, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from March 1966 to December 1968. Sam was wounded in Vietnam, in the harrowing hill fighting during the first battle of Khe Sanh, in the spring of 1967 by exploding shrapnel which left him with a small blind spot in his right eye.

In 1972, he married Gail Etsuko Hiroshima, a native of San Francisco, in a civil ceremony in Las Vegas. During his 40 years of marriage, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973 with a B.S. Degree from the College of Engineering, received his Professional Engineer's License Civil in Engineering in 1976, graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1979, and passed the California State BAR Examination in 1979. Besides being a member of the California State BAR, he was also a member of The American Society of Civil Engineers, American Military Engineers Society, Wilderness Unlimited, and had briefly been a participating member of Rotary International.

His career path led him to work at the following institutions and businesses: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Western Division in San Bruno, Calif.; Officer in Charge of Construction Yokosuka, Japan, as Head of Acquisition; Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwestern Division San Diego, as Director of Contracts, General Services Administration (GSA), as Director of Contracts; GSA, as Director of Real Estate; Parsons Brinckerhoff San Jose office, as Contracts Manager; Los Angeles Unified School District, as Director of Facilities Contracts; Seville Group, Inc. as Senior VP and General Counsel; and finally back at Parsons Brinckerhoff International Engineering Firm San Francisco as Legal Manager, Western Region.

He was preceded in passing by his mother, Mitsuko Yoshida Lauver; brother, HN James Lauver, USN; and stepfather, TSgt John T. Lauver, USAF. Sam is survived by his devoted and dearly beloved wife, Gail; beloved companion cat, Velvet; and his loving family, sister, Bonnie (Hugh) Murtaugh; niece, Erin; and nephews, Devin and Bryan; brother, Jan (Barbie) Lauver J.D. ’81; and nephews, John-Matthew and James; brother, Dennis (Karen) Lauver; and nieces, Rebecca and Meghan.

One of the last things he told Gail was that he was eternally grateful for his wonderful life and all the many precious and lasting relationships that he had made since his middle school years in Japan. 

Gerald A. Kimble Jr. J.D. ’79, 69, died September 21, 2012, in Colorado Springs. A retired Naval Officer and Attorney, he was born on August 26, 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio to Gerald and Katurah Kimble. Jerry graduated in Engineering Physics from the University of Kansas, 1969, and was promoted from enlisted to Naval Officer, serving 21 years as a Naval Flight Officer, retiring as Lt. Commander. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Santa Clara,1979, and practiced as a Prosecutor for the District Attorney, as a County Attorney prosecuting child abuse and neglect; and for both offices started recovery of welfare fraud and collections for arrears of child support. During private practice, he fought to end child abuse as Guardian ad Litem for abused or neglected children and disabled adults. He proudly served as the first board President of Pikes Peak Family Connections, teaching nurturing classes for court ordered families and establishing KPC Kid's Place, a crisis respite center for children. During his illness, he volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate to continue his work against abuse. In 2009, the El Paso County Bar honored him with the Lohman Award for his work to protect children. Surviving him are his wife, Cheryl Kimble, daughter, Jami Kimble and her husband Evan McLain, his two grandsons, Colm and Rafferty McLain, as well as his siblings, JoAn, Fleda, Phyllis, Jean, June, Harold, Roger, Tom, Vicky, and Jim. 

Edward Durkin Helms '79, born in Modesto, Calif., on May 14, 1957, to Leo T. and Maryclare Helms, passed in Roseville, Calif., September 25, 2009. The family moved to Tracy in 1963, and Ed attended St. Bernard's and Jefferson Elementary and Tracy High School where he was Student Body President in 1974-75. Ed graduated from Santa Clara University in 1979. Ed was an avid skier and hiker in his youth. He went to work and later became a principal in Helms Tractor Company, a local family farm equipment dealership. He subsequently became a Stock Broker specializing in bonds. He resided in Roseville since 1988. He is preceded in death by his father Leo T. Helms and survived by his sons Edward and Colton, mother Maryclare Helms, his brother Lee (Kathrina), sister Elizabeth (Bruce Rohrer) niece Kiley and nephew Ryan. Ed loved people and his life was his boys. He was deeply involved in the lives of Colton and Edward.

Corazon Tamayo '79 on March 21, 2009.

 Charles A. Graziani '43 on August 30, 2008.  He is survived by his father, Charles Graziani.