FACULTY and STAFF NEWS
This page will focus on retired staff and their adventures in retirement. If you have information to submit, please send it to info@redwoodalumni.org.
ALUMNI ON CAMPUS Did you know that nine Redwood Alumni are currently on the Redwood staff? Deb Ring Bendinelli '71 is a teacher of Special Education, Eric Berridge '85 and Jon Hirsh '94 are both in the Social Studies Department, Melissa Boles '93 teaches Science, and Allison Kristal '98 and Karen Murk '82 are in the Math Department. Karen Roby Barrett '63 is a Library Assistant, Paula McDermott VanTrease '71 is the Career Specialist and Patty Gibian Monge '84 represents the Twin Cities Police Force on campus. Other alumni in the Tam district include Brian Zailian '76 (French), Chris Erlin '85 (Math) and Laura Garrett '92 (Social Studies) at Tam.
DUNCAN MACSWAIN (Redwood 1963-95) continues to monitor the southern Thailand tsunami project he has been administering since 2004. Ninetyone individuals, 23 couples and nine schools and organizations contributed nearly $20,000 to the project. Monies had been placed in a trust account and then distributed as needed. The trust account was able to rebuild houses on Kangaroo Island; pay medical bills, refurbish classrooms and purchase uniforms and meals for students at Phi Phi Island elementary school; purchase books and uniforms for students at Yaowawit School in Tambon; help restart small businesses on Phi Phi, purchase over 2000 pounds of rice and help rebuild destroyed houses in a remote Sea Gypsy Village on Phuket; and provide a degree of financial security for Busaba Nuanjun (Nin), an abandoned eight year old child on Phi Phi.
A recent e-mail from Duncan included photos of Nin, now a 14 year junior high student. She's doing well. He continues to correspond with the staffs at Phi Phi Island School and Yaowawit.
It's no surprise that Redwood provided the bulk of contributions to this meaningful project. Current Redwood faculty and staff gave $4129 to the project. Individual retired and present Redwood teachers contributed an additional $2758.
Contact Duncan (Dmacs1@comcast.net) if you would like updates and/or additional information.
BOB TROPPMAN, former Coach and PE teacher, has recently self published a book called On Being a Kid in San Francisco, the late Depression and World War II years,in which he shares his memories of growing up in San Francisco. He includes interviews with many of his San Francisco buddies including Stanlee Buchanan and Denis Ragan, both former Redwood teachers. It can be purchased for $10 at the Larkspur Library or by contacting Bob Troppmann.
RUSSELL HILL, former English teacher at Redwood and Tam, has publsihed six books since his retirement and has received an Edgar Allan Poe nomination for a new novel, The Lord God Bird, the second nomination in three years. He's off to New York City at the end of April to find out the results.
EILEEN HAWKES, business teacher in Redwood's early years, just returned from a 33 day cruise of the South Pacific doing some snorkeling and swimming and enjoying life. "Not bad for a LOL as one former newspaper columnist categorized us. (She turned 90 at the Redwood 50th Celebration in April 2009) Then I leave on an African Safari and into the Red Sea and hope I do not meet up with any pirates. Hope to snorkel in the Seychelles. My recommendation to all of you is to dare to do what you think you cannot and then try, you usually can."
IN MEMORIAM
JAMES PIERCE February 12, 1926 - July 15, 2010 Jim grew up in Alameda and San Francisco. After service in World War II, he returned to U.C. Berkeley, graduating in 1950. Jim taught English at Sir Francis Drake High School, and when Redwood was built, he joined the staff of the new school, where he remained for many years. Jim was an active and prominent member of professional associations of English teachers at both state and local levels. His commitment to English literature was reflected in the series of textbooks he edited, which were used in classrooms across the country. Retirement from teaching in 1986 marked the beginning of a new career as an accountant and tax consultant. It also provided time for Jim to play racquet ball, bridge and bocce, and make long trips to Europe, Asia, Australia, and around North America. He helped to establish and continued to organize two different book discussion groups, and was a familiar figure in his San Anselmo neighborhood due to daily walks with his two Labrador Retrievers. Jim is survived by his wife of 54 years, Virginia. His three daughters are Beth of New York, Ellen of Washington, D.C. and Carrie of Pleasanton, California. Son, Charlie and daughter-in-law, Christine, reside in San Ramon, California. Friends are invited to make a donation in honor of Jim to the James L. Pierce Academic Scholarship Fund through the Redwood High School Scholarship Foundation.
BILL EDICK, Biology teacher, died peacefully in his home on March 8, 2010, at the age of 91. As a teenager, he worked as a carpenter's assistant and rivet painter during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. He served in the Pacific Theater during WWII from 1941 to 1945. After the War, he taught Biology at Drake High School, moving to Redwood High School upon its opening, and retired from teaching in 1979. He played the baritone horn in the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band from 1960 until just a few years ago. Bill succeeded in his wish to live comfortably and independently in his own home, pledging that the only way he would leave it would be "feet first", which he did. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Updated 8.1.10
