Monday, August 9, 2010

Gary Beall - Class of 1961

Life is good. I retired more than six years ago from the University of California, Davis where I worked as a public communications specialist for 29 years. My current lifestyle emphasizes the great outdoors--photography, hiking and gardening--and spending time with family and friends. I trained for and completed the Lake Tahoe Marathon last September and am now training for the Maui Marathon that will be held in January.

I am married and have three children, a son and two daughters and two grandchildren.

After PAUHS, I attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, majoring in electronics engineering because our principal/counselor Bill Barber thought I would be good at it. However, it wasn’t for me, so I transferred into journalism, a much better fit. (I should have listened to Ed Garrett, who used to tell me I was a good writer.)

After Cal Poly, I had stints doing public information work for the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton and the California State Department of Education in Sacramento. (The Army didn’t want me during the Vietnam buildup, thanks to torn cartilage in my knee from attempting to tackle Jason Franci during football practice in our senior year.) Then it was on to graduate school at the University of Oregon, where I received a master’s degree in journalism, with an emphasis in public relations.

My first job out of grad school was as editor of an Agricultural research magazine at Oregon State University in Corvallis, not a bad gig, but the rain and gloomy Willamette Valley weather made me yearn for the California sun. Luckily, I was accepted for an agricultural information job at the University of California, Davis, and worked there in various capacities until retirement.

I now live in Avila Beach but also spend time in Gualala and Winters. I regret not being able to attend the reunion but would like to hear from classmates and can be reached by email: gabeall@ucdavis.edu. Enjoy the evening and thanks, Mike, for your efforts to get us “oldtimers” together.

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