Rod & Sue Dewar: Supporting Research Opportunities
CSUMB students can intern with NASA, do social work in underprivileged neighborhoods or labor on a ship miles off the coast. They have research experiences with institutions such as Caltech, Hopkins Marine Station and Rutgers University. It’s all possible thanks to the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) and supporters like Rod and Sue Dewar.
The Dewars recently made a planned gift to CSUMB to support programs like UROC. Rod Dewar, a Monterey attorney, said the program can be a life-changing event for students. “It’s practical study versus classroom activity; working with experts in the student’s chosen field at off-campus locations,” he said.
“UROC exposes students to incredible opportunities not usually afforded to undergraduates – a concentrated activity leading to a contribution to knowledge rather than just absorbing it.”
Students can then demonstrate how their research addresses real world issues said Sue Dewar, who also actively supports scholarships for re-entry students as a member of the Women’s Leadership Council. “I saw a student presentation at the UROC offices and it was impressive,” she said.
Sue commended CSUMB University Advancement for its professionalism and introducing them to UROC and other aspects of campus life. She encouraged other community members to get involved.
Rod and Sue have been supporters of CSUMB for nearly a decade. For more information on UROC, visit csumb.edu/uroc.
Growing Opportunities
Like many farming businesses on the Central Coast, Driscoll’s is a family affair. Ed Reiter and Richard “Dick” Driscoll began growing strawberries in the Pajaro Valley in 1904, and the company has continued through four generations of growers. 2016 CSUMB alum Joseph “Trip” Reiter is among the latest to join that lineage, now growing raspberries in the Watsonville area.
“As my family is involved in the agriculture industry, knowledge of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture is an absolute must,” says Trip, who majored in Spanish at CSUMB. Every day, he works closely with Spanish-speaking employees and colleagues, putting the language skills he developed in school into action.
For both Trip and his father, Miles Reiter, cross-cultural competency is critical to their business success. Miles worked for 30 years doing various hands-on jobs in the company, and ultimately led Driscoll’s as chairman and CEO. “There are lots of challenges and opportunities. We’ve got operations on six continents and 23 countries. We’re the market leader in North America and Australia, and prominent in Europe and China,” says Miles. “There’s a lot to keep us energized and engaged, and a lot of exposure to different cultures.”
CSUMB has done a good job of adding capability to the local area in hospitality, ocean science, health, education, and now ag. They’re addressing the unique challenges of Monterey Bay and the Salinas Valley, and really beneficial to the overall community at large.— Miles Reiter
As a student, the opportunity to explore the cross-cultural aspects of the family business interested Trip. He strove to learn more about the people who make up the agricultural workforce in Watsonville. His senior year Capstone focused on the cultural factors that influence workers to immigrate to Watsonville. “I interviewed over 20 people and asked each of them 27 different questions, which I felt represented their reasons for leaving their homes and migrating to Watsonville,” says Trip. “I also researched the history of agricultural workers in Watsonville, where they came from and what factors drove them to come here.”
Miles recalls attending his son’s Capstone presentation. “I’ve been in the business a long time, working with people from central Mexican states, and his Capstone gave me insights I had missed,” says Miles.
Closer look at things
Miles now serves on the Foundation Board and has had the opportunity to get to know CSUMB President Eduardo Ochoa. They’ve discussed the possibility of the university developing programs that connect it with universities in Guadalajara and Michoacán—creating a more seamless experience for people who migrate between the tri-county area and Mexico and building off the insights of Trip’s Capstone.
Miles first became aware of CSUMB when Fort Ord was decommissioned. He knew Peter Smith, the university’s founding president, as a fellow Princeton alumnus, and appreciated the academic structure being developed at the new university—like the way the Capstone requirement was modeled off the senior thesis that Princeton required. “I paid attention and donated a little for some of the buildings,” says Miles. “I got more engaged because my son went there. I got a closer look at things.”
Miles is also is keenly interested in the development of a new ag program tied to the College of Business, the fifth such program coming out of a state university in California. “It would focus on supply chain issues and innovations in supply chain management,” says Miles. “The crops we grow in this area are so perishable— berries and lettuce are among the most perishable items in the produce department. It makes sense to focus on the ag elements that are most important to the region.”
Finding new solutions
Another area Miles sees potential for collaborative benefit between the university and local businesses is through science and environmental programs. Whether through researching freshwater issues and ocean health or developing alternatives to plastic, the university can become a partner and lend expertise toward finding new solutions that will help businesses like Driscoll’s become more environmentally sustainable.
“CSUMB is really coming into its own now,” he says. “It’s a significant element in the local area. We’re seeing that creating opportunity in our business. The families of our employees are getting better educations as first generation college students at CSUMB. We need people trained. We’re hiring more out of there—there’s a range of opportunities for recent grads in sales, marketing, finance, research, and the agricultural program just being organized.”
“I’ve learned that it makes a big difference in the quality and connection to have financial contributions and participation of local people in addition to just state funding. Alumni need to step up, but it’s tough for a new university where the average age of alumni is younger. It’s a reason to do a little more than you would otherwise.”
More generations
Inspired?
Donor profile: Jason Mansour
Jason Mansour (’03, Earth Systems Science & Policy) has made a $5,000 gift to support peer-to-peer advising and student mentoring, especially within his major, now called Environmental Science, Technology & Policy. His gift was matched by a $5,000 gift from the Alumni Association.
Mansour, who is a commissioned officer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that as CSUMB’s alumni base continues to grow, graduates from the university’s early years in particular can show leadership with their support. That may include gifts of time, energy or money, he said.
“Although you may not physically remain on campus, you will always share that common thread as an ‘Otter’ with generations of students, staff and faculty,” Mansour said.
He is currently serving in Washington, D.C., as Flag Lieutenant to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, as well as for NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco.
Bob Antle: CSUMB remembers a long-time friend
CSU Monterey Bay President Eduardo Ochoa on the passing of Bob Antle:
"Through his work and his philanthropy, Bob Antle has left a lasting imprint on his community and on our university. At Cal State Monterey Bay, we have greatly benefited from Bob’s wise counsel on how our university could best serve the Salinas Valley.
"In recognition of his leadership and his many accomplishments, CSUMB awarded Bob an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in 2007.
"Bob was a wonderful human being, a good friend and one of the first to welcome Holly and me to the community. He was deeply interested in the work of our university and I will greatly miss him as a leader, a confidant and a friend."
From Bob Antle's obituary in the Monterey Herald
Bob was born on November 10, 1935, in Watsonville, California to Lester (Bud) and Delores (Polly) Antle. Family always came first for Bob. He met the woman of his dreams while attending Watsonville High School and happily continued a 58-year love affair and marriage to his beloved wife Sue. He was so proud of his four children and their spouses. He truly adored each and every one of his 21 grandchildren and one very special first great-grandson. Time away from work always included supporting any and all of his family's individual endeavors. Bob and Sue always opened their home and vacation plans to any family member passing through town or available for a fun family adventure.
One of Bob's proudest accomplishments was the establishment of the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library at CSU Monterey Bay.
Bob was the recent recipient of the Grower-Shipper Association's E.E. (Gene) Harden Award for Lifetime Achievement in Central Coast Agriculture. This honor celebrated Bob for his lasting and significant contributions to agriculture as well as his extensive and longtime generosity to many philanthropic and educational institutions and endeavors throughout the Monterey County community. In 2009, Bob was awarded the Ben Heller Award by the Center for Community Advocacy for his courage and leadership in supporting farm workers. In 2013, the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts honored Bob with The Growing of Future Leaders Award.
While a student in 1949, he joined his father, Bud Antle, and grandfather, Lester Antle, at the family's lettuce harvest operation. During this time, he worked as a loader, met the Tanimura family and developed the relationships that eventually led to the formation of Tanimura & Antle, Inc. After graduating from Stanford, his first job was directing the company's carrot business, "Antle Carrots." He then moved into sales and marketing, eventually becoming the general sales manager.
In the mid-60s, he relocated to the East Coast to develop House of Bud, a wholesaler of fruits and vegetables. Under his leadership and direction, House of Bud opened facilities in New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Brussels, Belgium.
In 1972, after his father Bud Antle passed away at age 58, Bob became chief executive officer of all Antle entities. After six years of further developing and growing these businesses, he merged the Bud Antle companies with Castle & Cooke, Inc. (now Dole Food Co. Inc.) and joined its senior management. Bob served on the Castle & Cooke board of directors until 1982.
After his departure from Castle & Cooke, Bob, along with his sons, Rick and Mike, formed Tanimura & Antle with George Tanimura and his brothers, Charlie, Johnny, Tommy and Bobby and nephews, Gary and Keith. This partnership joined the Antles' strong packing and shipping expertise with the Tanimuras' growing expertise. Bob and George Tanimura became co-chairmen of the board when the partnership formalized and the two families combined more than 50 years of mutual friendship, respect and experience to create Tanimura & Antle. Bob was a great leader and mentor to so many in the Company and industry. The success of Tanimura & Antle can be attributed to Bob's appreciation for the Company's employees and his belief in their abilities.
Bob is credited with implementing several major produce industry initiatives such as wrapping fresh vegetables in the field (1960), developing distribution centers for the introduction of wrapped lettuce and other source packaged fruits and vegetables (1965), and producing crop transplants (1970). Prior to his passing, he focused on immigration reform and the Monterey County and California water crisis.
Antle was co-chairman of the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute, President of Southern Arizona Ranch Co. LLC, President of Pinnacalitos Chalone LP, Past President of the President's Council at California State University Monterey Bay, and founding President of Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, Inc. He also actively supported the University of Arizona. In March 2005, he was appointed to the California State Senate Commission of Agricultural Worker Housing & Health. Bob was a recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from CSU Monterey Bay, and the Community Foundation for Monterey County honored both Bob and Sue with the 2010 Distinguished Trustee Award.
One of Bob's proudest accomplishments was the establishment of the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library at CSU Monterey Bay. This library serves as the centerpiece for the emerging campus and as the social and intellectual hub of the university. He felt strongly that this was the perfect vehicle for the families to give back to our community in a lasting way.
He is survived by: his beautiful and adoring wife, Sue Antle; his brother, Kenneth Antle, Tucson, Arizona; his sons, Rick L. (Tonya) Antle, Mike V. (Cass) Antle; and his twin daughters, Kathy (Vince Ciolino) Della-Rose, Karen (Joseph) Hebl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; along with his 21 grandchildren and a great-grandson.
A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held 5 p.m., Mon., August 11, at the CSUMB World Theater with a reception following at the Tanimura & Antel Memorial Library.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests that donations be made directly to one of Bob's favorite charities/organizations: The Bob Antle Scholarship Fund, c/o CSUMB 100 Campus Center, Seaside CA 93955, The Salvation Army of Monterey, 1491 Contra Costa St, Seaside, California 93955 or the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, 100 Campus Center, Building 86E, CSUMB, Seaside, California 93955.
Bryan Sierra-Rivera
As a child, I don’t think I could have imagined that I would be where I am today. When we arrived in the United States, we lived in the one car garage of my aunt’s home. I felt the need to work to help my family, rather than attend high school. Today, I am a first-generation college student at CSU Monterey Bay majoring in Biology with a concentration in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology and a minor in Chemistry, and I was recently awarded the 2018 California State University (CSU) Trustees’ award for Outstanding Achievement; the CSU’s highest recognition of student achievement.
Theresa Dexter
When I was twelve years old, my mother left my sister and I. We were juggled between family members for a few years, and eventually placed in the child welfare system. I remained in foster care until I turned 18, in March of my senior year of high school. My foster family said “Congrats, you’re on your own.” Problem was, I wouldn’t graduate high school until June—not that anyone expected me to finish high school.
Magnolia Zarraga
Magnolia Zarraga graduated cum laude with distinction in 2003 she received a B.A. in Collaborative Health and Human Services from Cal State Monterey Bay prior to obtaining a JD from Monterey College of Law.
Making the way for those with a will
Jack and Peggy Downes Baskin settle into comfortable chairs in a living room appointed with significant art brought home like souvenirs of meaningful experiences around the world. A wall of French doors reveals a silent view of the sea, hanging like a faded watercolor in the distance, until darkness closes in like a curtain, and the conversation shifts.
Frank and Donna McDowell invest in students
A young man, achieving at the top of his class, was entering his senior year at CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB), when it became clear he would need to return to the fields near his King City home to earn enough money to complete his education. “It’s okay; it keeps me humble,” he said, seeing this, not as a road block in the journey toward his college degree, but merely as a curve in the path on which he would continue toward his goal.
Outstanding in his Field
Once he sold the farm and the farmhouse that went with it, Bob Johnson had no idea where to find a wall big enough to house the expansive oil painting his late wife Sue had inherited from her family. Sue had known all her life that, despite the absence of a signature, the expressionist oil painting of Inspiration Point in Yosemite Valley had been painted in 1877 by her great grandmother Mary Berkhalter.
Melissa Trevino
"I almost gave up. It had taken several starts and stops for me to pursue my college education, but my parents, migrant field workers, had instilled in me the importance of an education."
Helen Rucker endows scholarship
Helen Rucker, a retired teacher and librarian and longtime community activist on the Monterey Peninsula, endowed a scholarship she had been awarding annually since 1998 in honor of her late husband, James, who served at Fort Ord.
Rod & Sue Dewar: Supporting Research Opportunities
The Dewars recently made a planned gift to CSUMB to support programs like UROC. Rod Dewar, a Monterey attorney, said the program can be a life-changing event for students.
In Memory: Bruce Woolpert
Bruce passed away in a tragic boating accident. To honor his legacy, the Woolpert Foundation is supporting the Algebra Academy, an innovative program developed by CSUMB and Graniterock which provides intensive mentoring in algebra during a one-week period for Rolling Hills Middle School students.
Bob Antle: CSUMB remembers a long-time friend
President Ochoa recalls Bob Antle: "Bob was a wonderful human being, a good friend and one of the first to welcome Holly and me to the community. He was deeply interested in the work of our university and I will greatly miss him as a leader, a confidant and a friend."
2020 Foundation Annual Report Magazine
California State University, Monterey Bay proudly presents the seventh edition of the Foundation Annual Report Magazine featuring inspiring donor stories, our giving society list, and much more. Contact us at give@csumb.edu if you would like a physical copy mailed to you. View annual report on Issuu