Alumni Stars Named at Cal Poly Pomona

The 2002 Distinguished Alumni Awards recipients are (from left): Larry Moore, Leslie Stoltz, Linda Baisley, Richard Croxall, Mark Augarten, Lloyd Overton, Lance Calvert and Rebecca Hamm.

On April 19, Cal Poly Pomona honored eight alumni at the 2002 Distinguished Alumni Awards at Kellogg House Pomona. Now in its 41st year, the Distinguished Alumni Awards are given jointly by the university and the Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association. Established in 1961, the awards honor and recognize alumni who have achieved prominence in their chosen fields.

"These distinguished alumni serve well as role models for our students and for all of us," said President Bob H. Suzuki. "On behalf of Cal Poly Pomona, I congratulate each one and extend sincere best wishes for continued success and good fortune in the years ahead."

This year's honorees, one from each college and school, include:

Lance Calvert ('69, Business Administration), College of Business Administration—Calvert, who received a Certificate of Food Distribution from the University of Southern California, began his career at Southland Corporation, counseling franchise orders on store operations. He is now the president and owner of LACA Inc. and operates two highly successful 7-Eleven stores with 15 draw poker slot machines in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has made many contributions to Cal Poly Pomona, including participating in the Professor for a Day program and as a member of the University Educational Trust. Calvert also donated a Mazda Miata ($14,500) to the College of Business Administration, as well as making a gift of $250,000 to support the College of Business Administration's building project.

Mark Augarten ('91, Hospitality Management), Collins School of Hospitality Management—Augarten began his 12-year career at Claim Jumper as a restaurant manager, rising to the position of regional manager in 1997. His region includes six restaurants in California and one in Denver, Colo. Augarten participates in many of the charitable and community service events sponsored by Claim Jumper, including the Fran Joswick Therapeutic Riding Center Annual Bar-B-Que and the Special Olympics. On behalf of his company, he has also remained heavily involved with the Collins School through his active recruitment of Cal Poly Pomona students at the Collins School's Hospitality Career Expo. He has participated in the Professor for a Day program, and often returns to campus as a guest speaker in the Hospitality Management program.

Linda J. Baisley ('74, Foods & Nutrition), College of Agriculture—Baisley owns and operates her own company, Buena Vista Food Products, Inc. in Irwindale, which provides baked products to the U.S. Military and to the school food service industry in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington and Oregon. The bakery runs two eight-hour shifts each day, has 98 employees, and estimates sales to exceed $8.5 million this year. Baisley is also known for developing packaging for baked products to ensure freshness and nutrient retention. On numerous occasions, she has generously donated cookies and baked products to the College of Agriculture, as well as providing training and internship experiences for Cal Poly Pomona students. In 1997, Baisley was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Merrill Lynch.

Richard A. Croxall ('63, Mechanical Engineering), College of Engineering—Croxall is the vice president of quality and chief engineer for TRW Space & Electronics and is also the director of the 800-person Mission and Systems Engineering Organization. At TRW, he was the founding executive sponsor for the TRW Women's Network Group and currently serves as the executive sponsor for Adelante, the TRW Hispanic Network. Thanks in part to his efforts, TRW currently employs over 200 Cal Poly Pomona graduates in Southern California alone. Croxall has provided executive guidance to the College of Engineering and Dean Ed Hohmann by sponsoring visits to the TRW facilities for students and faculty, presenting valuable opportunities to see real world engineering practices in action.

Leslie Stoltz ('98, Education), College of Education & Integrative Studies—Stoltz received her master's in Education with an emphasis in Design-based Learning and Applying Technology from Cal Poly Pomona in 1998. She has been a teacher at the Chaparral Middle School in Diamond Bar since 1993. As a 6th grade teacher, Stoltz is pioneering a multicultural exchange program between her classroom and a classroom in Japan. The program is a prototype for interactive design using technology. She is a frequent speaker at area PTA meetings, presenting information on the importance of reading aloud, communication skills, homework without tears and parenting gifted children. In 2001, she was the coordinator for a design-based learning display at the Association of Computing Machinery in San Jose and was named Chaparral Middle School Teacher of the Year t Chaparral in 1997.

Lowell Overton ('76, Social Science, '77, Behavioral Science), College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences—Overton began his career in real estate at Goldenwest Realtors and Associates in Diamond Bar, where he became the office's top producer. He is currently the broker and co-owner of Coldwell Banker Realty in Diamond Bar and the owner of the real estate Internet portal RealMega.com. Overton serves as a director of the Tri-Counties Association of Realtors. As an alumnus, he has shown strong support for CLASS, creating an endowment to fund a scholarship for outstanding psychology, sociology or behavioral science students. To date, nine scholarships have been funded. Overton has also endowed the Lowell Overton Award for the President's Council Scholars program, is a Cal Poly Pomona Foundation director, a Kellogg Voorhis Heritage Society member, and serves as president for the CLASS alumni chapter. Recently, Overton brought Cal Poly Pomona together with local and statewide political leaders, most recently cosponsoring a reception for California's Attorney General, Bill Lockyer.

Rebecca Hamm ('84, Art), College of Environmental Design—Hamm, who received a master's degree from Claremont Graduate University, is the program director for the First Street Gallery and Art Center in Claremont. The First Street Gallery is an art center and gallery for adults with developmental disabilities. The gallery's artists create art through the mediums of paint, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, collage and assemblage. Hamm has participated in two Professor for a Day events, sharing her knowledge and profession experiences with students. She has led a team building workshop for students in the Regenerative Studies program, helped organize alumni Art department events, and managed an art exhibition at the Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center featuring 28 of Cal Poly Pomona student artists. Hamm is a lecturer for the Art department, specializing in innovative design courses.

Dr. Larry J. Moore ('76, Microbiology), College of Science—Moore received a master's degree in oral biology in 1979 from UCLA and his doctor of dental surgery from the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1981. He is now a general partner for the Chino Hills Oral Surgery Center and is the owner and president of a private practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery in Torrance. In addition, he has maintained a part-time faculty position at the UCLA School of Dentistry since 1989. Moore serves on the board of directors for the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and is chairperson of its Continuing Education board. He has received the Caldwell Research Award, a Western Dental Society Leadership Award, a CDS-Dixon Student Leadership Award, and was inducted into the academic honors society of dentistry.

 

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