Classnotes submitted by Harold "Skip" Conde on October 26, 2012
Greetings! Just want to add a bit of news about my doings, class of '73. I recently had my book published entitled "An Encyclopedia of Human Rights in the United States" 1835 pages, 2 vols. New York: Grey House Publishing. I gave a copy of it to the School last year and it has an acknowledgment/thanks to UCD Law School for my legal education. Also: I am now a visiting professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Strasbourg, France, specializing in International Human Rights Law. Looking forward to my 40th reunion next year.
CHARLIE BIRD. Charlie remains, well, Charlie. Thank goodness for small favors! San Diego suffered a tropically hot July, and Charlie Bird's house does not have air conditioning. As a result, Charlie and Charlotte's cat, Shadow, became lethargic and refused to participate in his regular morning retrieving sessions. He returned to good retrieving form after several weeks of an unusually cool August. Charlie's opposing counsel in a Fifth Appellate District appeal is a King Hall graduate now with a Stockton firm.
SKIP CONDE. As an Expert Legal Consultant to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Skip is preparing a training program in international human rights law and freedom of religion or belief for lawyers, judges, government officials from new eastern European democracies. He taught a two-week course in Belgium this summer for African lawyers, judges and government officials in international human rights law, theory and concepts, and the human right to development, at the Catholic University of Brussels, in French. He is preparing a French translation of his book, International Human Rights Terminology, 2nd ed.
JEFFREY A. DENNIS STRATHMEYER. Jeffrey "retired" from the University of California last Fall after 23 years of writing Continuing Education of the Bar publications for estate planning attorneys. He has hung out a shingle in Lafayette, California. He still does work for CEB, and is trying to improve his tennis game.
PHIL EVES. Phil retired from the bench as of December 1, 2005. He then became an active Senior Judge for the State of Utah. That means he gets called to fill in for the regular judges as needed. He has now opened a mediation and arbitration service, which has become very busy. He is enjoying the change of pace and the new challenges. Although he is now 65, he is still very active and healthy. He and Karen, his wife of 41+ years, are happily living in Parowan, Utah. He spends his spare time riding his motorcycle or his ATVs or fishing. He also tries to walk nine holes of golf every chance he gets. He adds that he has been very fortunate to have enjoyed a career in the law and feels privileged to have been given that opportunity.
JOHN HODGSON. John established the Hodgson Company, a real estate development and land use entitlement company in 1991. It was in 1991 that he left the full time practice of law, having been a partner with the firm of Nielsen, Merksamer, Hodgson, Parrinello, & Mueller. He is married to Maryann Minaesian and has three children, Jessica, J and Peter. The Hodgson Company is involved in the development of master planned communities in the greater Northern California area. Their website is http://www.thehodgsoncompany.com/.
TAMILA JENSEN. At this time I am the treasurer of Los Angeles Neighborhood Legal Services and incoming secretary of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. In 2007 I will be teaching for a month in Hungary after a week long orientation in Salzburg, Austria. Alas! This summer I spent a week in Costa Rica at a yoga retreat where my favorite parts were the zip line and horseback riding up an active volcano.
DEBORAH KING. Deborah has a new book called Truth Heals: Dismantling the Lies that Make Us Sick. A compilation of compelling case histories and a personal memoir are the backdrop for a dynamic study of the relationship between suppressed emotional pain and physical and emotional illness. Deborah thinks her friends from King Hall will especially enjoy the memoir portions of this book and urges all her class mates to order Truth Heals from Amazon and let her know what they think.
J. TIM KONOLD. Tim is in his 33rd year with Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, LLP, in San Diego, where he specializes in real estate law. Tim has served on the Executive Committee of the Real Property Section of the California Bar and is a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, where he has served as California Chair, Regent, and national President. Tim is also President of First San Diego Courthouse, Inc., which owns and operates a museum in Old Town located on the original site of the first courthouse built in 1847. He and his wife, Kathy, just sent their seventh, and last, child off to college. They are enjoying their eight (soon to be nine) grandchildren.
MYRON LEHTMAN. Myron is alive and well and still residing in Washington, D.C. In April 2005, he retired from the U.S. Justice Department where he had been a Senior Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division. He practiced with DOJ for approximately 32 years. He has done a number of cycling trips to Europe and still competes in road races and the occasional triathlon. He currently is president of the National Capital Velo Club, which is the largest amateur cycling team in the Mid Atlantic.
ALAN G. PERKINS. Alan is still on the Sacramento Superior Court. Since January he has primarily been hearing criminal trials and also doing some back up duties for the Family Law Division. He has enjoyed learning a lot of new subjects as well as relearning some he had long since forgotten. He reports that being a judge is a different experience from business litigation.
JANE RESTANI. Jane is still Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York and has been traveling around a lot to various circuits. She decided to work on her Spanish and make this past year her South American hiking year by going to Patagonia and doing the Inca Trail. She reports that these are both great trips and no jet lag! That only leaves Kilimanjaro and she wants to do it before she is 60. Her husband, Ira Bloom, received many honors from his college this year, but his favorite was Teacher of the Year.
CLAUDIA ROBINSON. Claudia still is working for Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith as an appellate specialist. Her son, Andrew, has graduated from law school at Lewis & Clark and has taken the Oregon bar. He is currently in Laos on his honeymoon. Her daughter, Michele, has returned to school to get her teaching credential. She has bought a small home in Stevenson, Washington, and hopes to start splitting her time between the two states within the next year.
CHUCK SAMONSKY. Chuck continues to practice criminal defense in Ventura County, but is busier than ever. His wife of 41 years, Susan, is a resource teacher in a local elementary school. Their only son, Andrew, is an actor and singer, who is actually making a living, having just ended a Hollywood run of Jonathan Larson's (he wrote Rent) tick...tick...BOOM, to rave reviews. Chuck's main entertainment is riding around the country on his Harley Davidson with his wife.
FLOYD SHIMOMURA. Floyd started his third year as executive officer of the California State Personnel Board in Sacramento. In March he visited Japan as a guest of the Japanese government to learn more about U.S. Japan relations. He reports that it was an eye opening trip and makes you realize how fast the power relationships are changing in Asia. He is still involved with the board of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and will serve as board president for the next two years.
GEORGE WOLF. George's oldest son, George Jr, whom some may remember from Davis years, has gone back to school. He is enrolled at the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. In early August father and son drove a truck from Berkeley to Boston to move his household a reprise of a drive they took 34 years ago when, after graduating from UCD, they drove from Davis to Washington DC for George's first job at DOJ. George's second son, Adam, is in his second year of a PhD program at Stanford, in biology. His baby, Morgen, just graduated from UCSB and has moved to NYC. She is the assistant publisher for Plenty, an independent "green" magazine. (Go to plentymag.com to subscribe!)