Class Notes 2020
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NOVEMBER 2020
Richard Whorton, Jr., ’70, and his wife, Marilyn (Beaird) Whorton, ’69, celebrated their 50th anniversary in May 2020.
Bruce Swetnam, ’75 is now retired and living in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
Linda (Foster) Hagen, ’80 has been a teacher for 40 years and has been teaching at Van Buren Freshman Academy for the last 28 years.
Nate Ingle, ’00, was recently name Lead Pastor at FBC Karnes City in Austin, Texas. Nate previously
worked as an account for 20 years before being called to the ministry. He is thankful for his degree and opportunity at CBU, it helped tremendously in his ministry
work.
Angela Rayfield, ’09 recently passed the California Bar Exam and was sworn in as a licensed California attorney.
Megan Lindsay, ’20 was recently hired as an exercise physiologist at Southwest Age Intervention Institute in Texas. She is working toward earning her paramedic license. In her spare time she competes in power lifting.
OCTOBER 2020
Walt Crabtree, ’62 and his wife Marilyn, ’62, have left their mountain retirement home after 23 years and moved to Escondido, California
where they purchased a mobile home and they are excited closer to their daughter Melodee (Crabtree) Rupe, ’86 and her husband Larry, who live in San Diego.
Blanton (Gene) Jackson, ’64 after retiring from the ministry, Gene went on to write and publish several books that can be found on Amazon. He currently resides in North Carolina.
Oili Lawrence, ’69 retried from teaching high school Spanish after almost 25 years. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to come out of retirement and teach Spanish to her two grandchildren ages 5 and 7.
Michael Lynch, ’75 is a member Reserve Joint Forces and Command Chaplain for State of Emergency Command
(SOECOM) and was recently promoted to the rank of Major General (2 stars). Mike is
proud to still be serving our great country and the men and women of the armed services.
Barbara (Smith) Logan, ’77, and her husband Don reside in Fairbanks, Alaska and will celebrate their 25th wedding
anniversary on December 12. Barbara, after experiencing a heart attack, retired from
her position at a small credit union after 20 years of service, as well as her volunteer
positions at the Bird Lab at the University of Alaska Museum of the North and Friends
of Creamer’s Field. She enjoys singing in the Fairbanks Symphony Chorus and helping
to homeschool her grandchildren. She feels truly blessed and shares “Rejoice in the
Lord always and again I say, Rejoice!” - Philippians 4:4.
Melinda (Phillips) Russell, ’79, lives in the city of Haikou, on the island of Hainan, China. She recently published
a book called Life in a Box: The Ins and Outs of Maneuvering Through the Boxes of Our Lives. She and her husband have three grown sons, who have blessed them with five precious
grand blessings.
Deb Duckett-Morris, ’81 was married on Oct. 9, 2016 after dating her hubby for 19 years! They have five grandchildren
whom they love and spoil! In December she will celebrate 32 years of federal government
service and hopes to retire May 2021.
Kristina (Becker) Stracke, ’06 is the Director of Ambulatory Quality/Complete Care for Kaiser Permanente in San
Bernardino County. She and her husband have five children ages 5-11, three boys and
two girls.
Adam Christman, ’06 finished his Ph.D. in New Testament Studies with Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention in May 2020.
George Elerick, ’09 is a behavioral scientist, social psychologist, and author. He recently spoke at
TedxCSULB and is working on a new book on human behavior. In his spare time he does
standup, rock-climbing and is an avid outdoorsman.
Evan Forte, ’11 and his wife Emily (Green) Forte, ’13, ’18 recently welcomed their second son Wyatt Connelly in September 2020. He joins his
brother Carter Douglass Harris (4yrs).
Andrew Twitty, ’11 went home to be with the Lord. He is remembered as a man of incredible faith. He leaves behind a young son, Liam.
Brian Barnes, ’13, ’20 recently started a new position at the Pacifica School District as an elementary school psychologist.
Roger Bond, ’13 returned home September 17 after a month-long deployment with the California Army National Guard to the LNU lightning complex fire in Northern California. He is a Captain in the Army National Guard and a full-time commander of the Counter Drug Task force in San Diego.
Lucia Jarrell, ’13 was recently promoted to Lead Clinical Supervisor for the Suicide Prevention Center Survivors Support Service at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
Kenneth Wible, ’14 was recently hired as a customer service representative at Ethika Inc. in Lake Forest, California.
Lauren (Minnick) Hoyt, ’16, and her husband Tyler Hoyt, ’16, welcomed a baby girl, Dayton Larissa Hoyt, to the world on May 15, 2020. Lauren and
Tyler married in 2017, after meeting while in graduate school at CBU. Both are currently
working as athletic trainers.
Alyssa Cabrera, ’20 passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on the first attempt and
started a nursing position at Riverside Community Hospital.
Elizabeth (King) Kumamoto, ’20, married Thomas Kumamoto, ’20, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEPTEMBER 2020
Aaron Daffern, ’99 was recently promoted to manager in the Early Learning Department of the Dallas Independent
School District. The Early Learning Department leads the way in advocating and supporting PK through
2nd-grade instructional programs in one of the country's largest school districts.
Phyllis (Paulson) Heinze, ’11, and her husband Clint Heinze, ’12, welcomed their second child, daughter Evelynn Lydia-Jean on May 14, 2020.
Mark Norton, ’13 and his wife Christine Norton, ’15, have been living in South Korea for the last three years where they both work as
middle school teachers.
Julio Solano, ’14, proposed to Sarah Murguia, ’17. The two are set to wed in the spring of 2021. Julio is working as an accounting assistant
at Tawnia’s Accounting Services in Victorville, CA.
Samantha (Squires) Freeman, ’17, is working at her dream job as a registered nurse in pediatrics at the Loma Linda
University Children’s Hospital. She and her husband, Ron recently welcomed their first
child, a daughter named Isla Irene, in July 2020.
Justina Dreschler, ’19 is blessed to have received a position as a registered nurse at Desert Regional Medical Center, which happens to be the hospital where she did her last rotation as a student. Justina states that she loves her job and that “God is so good!”
Kristin (Rego) Huneau, ’19, is celebrating some big milestones this year. First is her 10-year anniversary with her husband Jason, she also celebrated her thirtieth birthday, and finally, she will hopefully be gaining her clinical license for her career as a Clinician with the Telecare Mental Health Urgent Care. She has just 600 clinical hours to complete and hopes to accomplish this by the end of the year.
AUGUST 2020
Mike Vanta, ’75 and his wife Ellen celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on August 2, 2020.
Emily (Cummins) Day, ’11, and her husband Jason welcomed their first child, a son, Jack in April 2019.
Judy Lynn (Chambers) Hillhouse, ’68 has left this earthly life to be with her heavenly father. She lost her battle with colorectal cancer on September 17, 2019. She is survived by her husband Edward Hillhouse, ’68.
Mike Gee, ’81 and his wife Gayle (Travis) Gee, ’80, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 23, 2020. They are both retired and enjoying life in Glendale, Arizona.
Richard Bruce Jarvis, ’60, and his wife Mildred (Wier) Jarvis, ’55, celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary on June 2, 2020. They fondly remember CBU as CBC and were part of the first group of students to attend the Riverside campus.
Craig Haxel, ’12, and his wife welcomed their third son on August 14, 2020.
Tracy (Rutledge) Marrs, ’04 married her husband Duane Gallagher on August 8, 2020. She also recently started
a position as an adjunct professor in education at the University of Redlands.
Melissa (Meador) Runnells, ’14, and her husband Adam welcomed a daughter, Brooke, on August 26, 2019.
Mike Vanta, ’75 and his wife Ellen celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on August 2, 2020.
JULY 2020
David Leonard, ’73, recently closed his land use planning consulting business, David Leonard Associates, after 24 years and has now formed Advance Planning LLC. He represents the Second Supervisorial District on the Riverside County Planning Commission.
Judy Bowman, ’79 started WHEEL POWER Christian Cyclists after being laid-off from Liberty University
in 1990. She has been pedaling her bike across the United States sharing the word
of Christ.
Janet Perkins, ’91 was promoted to House Information Resources Senior Technology Solutions engineer
in September for the Chief Administrative Office US House of Representatives.
Dr. John Paul Husko, ’99, died unexpectedly on February 6, 2020. John graduated from CBU with a Master of Business Administration in 1999, he then went on to earn his Ph.D. in philosophy with a specialization in International Business from North Central University. John leaves behind his wife Kathleen and two grown children, Allison Marie Husko and John Peter Husko.
Andrew Tufano, ’00, has published his second book, The Violence-Free Workplace.
David Marley, ’01/’04 and his wife, Kelly (Myers) Marley, ’02 welcomed a son, Caleb Joshua on June 16, 2020. Caleb joins his older siblings, Katelyn (15), Jonathan (12 ½), and Jayne (2).
Adam Christman, ’06 graduated from Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention with a Ph.D. in
New Testament studies in May 2020.
Brittany (Sparkman) Fruh, ’11, and her husband Steven Fruh, ’12 welcomed a son, Keaton Jones Fruh on March 1, 2020. Keaton joins brother, Jaxon (3).
The family resides in Timnath, Colorado.
Methode Maniraguha, ’13, was selected as the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce’s 2020 Emerging Entrepreneur Award winner. Methode is a licensed professional electrical engineer and owner of Current Renewables Engineering, Inc.
Anastasia Aguas, ’18, recently accepted a position with the Department of Defense and will be moving to Virginia. She received a Masters in Public Policy from Pepperdine University in 2020 where she was also selected as a Presidential Management Fellow Finalist, a program developed in 1977 by former President Carter that focuses on leadership development for those pursuing careers in government.
Sara Rockvam, ’19 accepted a position at Loma Linda University Medical Center as an ICU nurse.
JUNE 2020
Blanton E. Jackson, ’64 is the author of four books. His latest, The Killing of the Christian Church in America is now on Amazon under his pen name Gene Jackson.
Tara (Sparks) Falsetti, ’86 retired from the County of Riverside in 2018. She worked as an Appeals Specialist
for 28 years. She is now caretaker for her parents Walter, ’79, and Ramona, ’67 Sparks. Tara serves on the CBU Alumni Board.
Karen (Thompson) Newton, ’87 was promoted to Probation/Parole Officer III in March 2019 and now supervises a team at a women’s prison in Eagle River, Alaska. Her husband Robert Newton, ’88 is now a Clinical Therapist at the Cohen Clinic, which serves those in the military, their families, and veterans.
Mr. Dana Bratton ’94 is a retired Missionary, pastor, and chaplain. Dana recalls wonderful memories at CBU in Dr. Mobley’s New Testament courses. He has authored many books including 18 books on the New Testament and two on the Old Testament. He has recently recovered from an extended illness with his wife Cindy of 45 years by his side the whole way.
Elvira Ilmer Nilsson ’02 was working as a Peace Corps Volunteer with the Community Economic Development in an agricultural town in Peru but unfortunately was evacuated due to the Coronavirus.
Megan (Van Dyk) Graham, ’11 welcomed a son, Sage Quigley Graham on October 20, 2019. Megan and her family reside
in Salem, OR.
Christine Osborne, ’12 has accepted a position as an assistant professor of mathematics at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.
Jesus Alex Felix, ’17 works for the County of San Bernardino where he manages the Human Services Closed Files Operations and the Warehouse & Distribution Center. He credits his faith for guiding him through his leadership responsibilities and helping him set an example for all those he works with and supports.
London (Colbert) Edwards, ’19 married Johnathan Edwards in August 2019 and is now expecting a baby girl in August
2020. London says the Lord has led her back to CBU where she will be part of the Master
of Science in Education program.
MAY 2020
Alan Young (’69) and three generations of Lancers with his ’73 VW Super Beetle. Pictured: Alan, Alison Young (’94), Bailee Young (current CBU student in chemical engineering), Laurie Williams (’98), and Sandy Young (’69).
Susan Carol (Parks) Buchanan (’70) was an elementary school teacher in the San Jacinto Unified School District for 29 years where she was honored to have taught 1,000 wonderful kids over her years there. She credits God with blessing her the opportunity to share her faith and love with all these children.
Charlene (Chun) Moody (’70) has retired from teaching and would like to connect with classmates. Her email is charlenemoody48@gmail.com. Charlene enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, Zoey.
Carla (Lupkey) Gain (’72) retired from teaching after 12 years and she and her husband, Ken moved to San Antonio. They are enjoying the retired life and their grandchildren Kendall (14), Connor (10), and Gracie (15).
Rev. Russell Edwards (’80) is a Senior Pastor at the Reformed Congregational Church in Marshall Islands where he sings as part of his sermon. He credits Dr. Helen Walker with teaching him to use his voice to praise the Lord.
Margaret Myers (’80) was looking forward to her retirement from teaching in June 2020, when things took a turn due to COVID-19. However, the joys have outweighed the challenges, and teaching via Zoom has been fun! Margaret also works as a coach for Weight Watchers and is a worship leader alongside her husband, pastor Douglas Myers (’82).
Laurie (MacArthur) Cook (’83) retired from her position of Regulatory Compliance manager from Riverside Community
Hospital in April 2020 after 43 years as a Registered Nurse. Laurie’s son is currently
a senior at CBU.
Jonathan W. Jarboe (’86) became the President of the Baptist Foundation of California on
March 1, 2020.
Jennifer (Perzinski) Ingram (’95) just released her first book, Adulting for Christians: An Interactive Guide to Keeping the Faith While Learning the Ropes, in March 2020.
Analydia (Bracamonte) Garcia (’97) lives in Topeka, KS with her husband Jonathan where she homeschools her children.
Brenda (Stark) Santos (’98) became licensed as a professional tax preparer and specializes in helping pastors and churches and non-profit start-ups. Her son, Timothy, is continuing the legacy at CBU as he started his freshman year in the Fall of 2019.
Priscilla Grijalva (’01/’03) is a school counselor at Norte Vista High School and she recently received National College Board School Counselor Recognition for 2020.
Clara Lee Barnes (’02) retired from nursing and went on to earn her Ph.D. in psychology from Walden University. She is currently writing a book and is involved in community volunteer services.
Erika (Keith) Travis (’02/’06) and her husband Jeffrey Travis (’03) welcomed their second son, Luke Cornelius on May 2, 2019. This is the fourth child
for Erika and Jeffrey he joins siblings Anna (13), Adam (10) and Elizabeth (7).
Elizabeth (Meadows) Juneau (’06) and her husband, Travis, welcomed their daughter Olivia on June 26, 2019. She joined
big sister, Ellie Kate (4). The family makes their home in Northport, Alabama where
Elizabeth was nominated for Alabama State Teacher of the Year in 2016 and Jacksonville
State Teacher Hall of Fame in 2017.
Monty Stayner (’07) works for the Arlington Fire Department. He resides in Burleson, TX with his wife Ashlee (Brandt) Stayner (’08) and their three daughters, Brooklyn (6), Savannah (4), and Charlotte born April 2018.
Kylee (Magby) Jones (’12) started a new position working as a Social Worker-MSW for Loma Linda University Medical Center in January 2020. She is working toward full licensure to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Stephen (’14) and Alyssa (’15) Rolle welcomed their first child, daughter Olivia Mae Rolle on October 6, 2019. The family
resides in San Diego.
Dakota McMahand (’15) started the nonprofit, Budding Artists, in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her
organization provided process-based art kits to children in the city of Lynwood. They
hope to continue providing these kits to children in other areas of South East Los
Angeles.
Jordan Singer (’15) and his wife Jessicah (Chappell) Singer (’16) welcomed their daughter Adeline Grace in December 2018. Jordan works as a designer
for Crossway Publishing. Jordan received an ECPA Top Shelf design award at the annual
PubU conference in 2019.
Brittany (Throne) Arambula (’16) and Nathan Arambula (’16) were married on June 8, 2019. They live in Florida where Brittany works as the Head
Athletic Trainer for Polk State College and Nathan is the Head Athletic Trainer at
Warner University.
Sabrina Renteria (’17) received her Master of Public Administration degree from CBU and now works as a Chief Operations Officer for her tribal government. She began the Doctor of Public Administration program at CBU in January 2020.
Denis Vega (’17) is part of the executive team for Community Health Systems a not-for-profit, federally-qualified, health center that does not turn away anyone, regardless of ability to pay. They are meeting the challenges of COVID-19 and Denis states, “I am very glad I obtained my MBA from CBU. The faith-based focus helps leaders like me not only guide effectively but to do so with a good heart.”
Erin Fletcher (’18) and Alexander Soto celebrated the birth of Hendrix Lee Soto on June 18, 2019. The
family currently resides in Perris, California where Erin is a middle school science
teacher and Alex runs an automotive performance business, SheepeyRace.
Allisson Silveira (’18) was married to Salvador Camberos on March 17, 2020. Their wedding was moved up due
to the COVID-19 pandemic and they were only able to have 10 family members present
and their reception was canceled. They plan to renew their vows and host a reception
at a later date.
Jeff King (’19) and his wife Kelly welcomed Nolan David on February 28, 2020. Nolan joins older brother
Emmett.
Michelle Christine Urrutia (’19) is currently enrolled in a doctoral program for organizational structure with an emphasis in Christian ministry at GCU. She is currently a third-grade teacher and enjoys teaching her students about God’s love and they too can live their purpose!
Jess Remp (’19) husband of Elizabeth Remp (’05) graduated with a degree in Kinesiology and hopes to use his degree to help with training programs and implementation of fitness testing at the Corona Fire Department, where he has worked for the last 15 years.
Jayvelyn Wilczek (’19) and her husband, Sebastian, welcomed their daughter, Josephine (1), two days after commencement last May! Jayvelyn is also mom to Jonathan (3) and Jolienne (9). The family lives in California where Jayvelyn works as a school psychologist.