Jim Linthicum

Physical education instructor and coach, 37 years at De Anza, two years at Foothill

Retirement plans:
“I will finish all those projects that I’ve put aside, become proficient in the sport of fishing and learn to play the guitar. Maybe I’ll play the guitar and fish at the same time! I’ll also take all those trips that I’ve put on hold for all the years that I was coaching year round and spend as much time as possible with the grandchildren. Finally, I plan to return during winter quarter to take part in the Article 21 program and check up on my former students to see if they’ve kept up with their fitness programs.”

Charlie Elder

Physical education instructor, coach and athletic director, 36 years of service

Retirement plans:
“My wife Betty Lou and I will continue to enjoy our family—our son, daughter and four grandchildren who all live in this area. We also want to travel a bit in the United States. In my wood shop in my backyard, I’ll build furniture, including a dining room table and a sewing cabinet. I want to take a bicycle trip by myself from Calgary to Salt Lake City. I’ll carry my own gear and food.”

Mick Sullivan

Geography and anthropology instructor, 34 years of service

Retirement plans:
“I will teach under Article 19, get more politically involved and spend more time with friends.”

George Rice

CIS instructor, 28 years as faculty and five years as classified staff for a total of 33 years of service

Contributions:
“I helped develop modular scheduling in the automotive program. Together with my colleagues, I worked to develop the De Anza Automotive Technology Program into one of the nation’s finest automotive programs.”

Retirement plans:
“I have one definite plan: to teach one class each quarter on Article 19. Once my wife Lynne retires I’m sure we’ll travel to such places as the Southwest and Canada. I’m still working on my retirement plan but will definitely enjoy my free time.”

Rose Deslonde

Biology instructor, 32 years of service

Contribution:
“Perhaps my most significant contribution to the college has been my attempt to share my love of biology with my students.”

Retirement plans:
“I plan to spend some time traveling, catching up on my reading, gardening and spoiling my first grandbaby who is due in October.”

Kwan Chan

Librarian, 30 years of service

Contributions:
“It has been rewarding to be a part of the team effort in library automation and expansion and also set guidelines in the bibliographic control of a multimedia collection. It was most satisfying to provide reference service and library orientation lectures and tours for generations of students in their intellectual pursuits. Later I developed orientation materials for ESL students and expanded a Chinese language collection with a $16,000 grant. Also, I connected with others at De Anza as a senator in the Academic Senate, as a member of Tenure Review Committees and as a library liaison for two divisions.”

Retirement plans:
“My wife Estella and I will continue to travel, exercise and spend more time with our family and friends. I have translated my own genealogy for my children and shall be able to help my friends do the same. Retirement will allow me to be involved in volunteer activities and take care of unfinished projects.”

Joyce Colvard

CAOS instructor, 29 years of service

Contributions:
“My greatest reward for many years has been the response of my students, whether by e-mail, letter or random acquaintance. They’d tell me that upon successfully completing their CAOS courses they were able to obtain employment and establish a successful career, some under extraordinary circumstances. It has been rewarding to see so many OTI and CalWORKs students become independent and self-sufficient because of the CAOS Department and to see our CAOS students receive their associate degrees and then graduate from four-year universities. Other than my family and friends, De Anza has been the most important part of my life for the past 29 years. I’d like to thank Robert DeHart, De Anza’s founding president, for giving me the opportunity to explore every opportunity available. I was a co-founder of the self-paced, open-entry CAOS laboratory. Highlights of my De Anza career include the President’s Award for Innovation in Teaching in the fall of 1986, the district’s Innovator of the Year in 1986, and NISOD’s National Teaching Excellence Award in 1989.”

Retirement plans:
“I look forward to doing whatever I want to do, whenever I want; and that will include traveling, volunteering, reading, relaxing and enjoying life. I am lucky to have been part of De Anza, and it will always be a part of me!”

Mary Thompson

Senior library technician, 29 years of service

Contributions:
“Through the years, I’ve assisted and encouraged students in a caring manner. I started out as a teaching assistant and instructional associate in Older Adult Studies. As a result of managed hiring in 1993, I became a library technician in the Open Media Lab and after four years moved into Technical Services where I catalog videotapes and other materials generated from the Distance Learning Center. My life work has been to do the best I can to help De Anza students of all ages succeed. Whether I’ve been assisting them in a lab or classroom or whether I’ve been supervising or training them in work situations, the students have brought me great joy.”

Retirement plans:
“There are so many things I want to do when I retire that I’ll never have enough time. I know I’ll volunteer in my church and in the community. I’m looking forward to having the time to read, garden, travel and sew. As soon as I retire, I’m going to my granddaughter’s graduation in Washington state and then drive to Southern Oregon to look for a home. Most of my family, including two daughters and their husbands and four grandchildren, live in the Pacific Northwest.”

Gloria Mitchell

Psychology instructor, 28 years of service

Contributions:
“My journey is one of constant discovery, and part of what I’ve discovered is that much of the beauty and mystery of this life can be found in the process of seeking. When I started as a student at Foothill College in 1964—Phase 1, I never dreamed that in 1976 I would become a teacher at De  Anza—Phase 2. In 28 years of teaching, I haven’t been absent one day. Do I get a prize? For me, there’s something so exciting about learning and teaching. The joy is in knowing that each morning there are hundreds of students to share the day with. I love students and motivating them to experience success and the art of happiness. Psychology, the study of human behavior and experience, is such a fun subject to teach.”

Retirement plans:
“Now Phase 3, a new beginning, is like another quest or journey. It’s not that you know more necessarily; it’s that you accept not knowing and experience a different kind of ease. Whatever else happens is icing on the cake. I’ve had a great education; taught at the nation’s best community college; traveled the world; and have a loving, caring family. In July I will visit Mongolia, my 138th country. I will teach under Article 21 in fall quarter and make a 105-day voyage around the world on the QE-2 in January. I think that is my prize, thanks to the golden handshake! I look forward to creating my most abundant years, living out who I truly am.”

Ann Stemler

Biology instructor, 26 years of service

Contributions:
“I believe my most significant contribution outside of teaching was to participate in a grassroots movement to set up a campus recycling program. A highly motivated group of students was involved in the project along with faculty, administration and staff. I got to know a lot of people as we went around campus collecting paper with members of our custodial staff. The group really appreciated all the support and participation of the college community, and that effort brought many of us much closer together. I’ll miss being part of that community.”

Retirement plans:
“During my retirement, I hope to have more time for my garden. I have almost an acre of land, which is now densely inhabited by snails and weeds. I hope to transform it into a haven for birds, butterflies, frogs and other lovely creatures. I hope to spend a lot of time hiking and observing birds, especially the red-tailed hawks that live on the hill behind my house. I have a huge telescope that allows me to see their behavior and faces as they look out at the world.”

James Williams

History instructor, 19 years of service

Contributions:
“I served as executive director of the California History Center Foundation from 1985 to 1993 and helped earn it statewide recognition. In addition, I published ‘Energy and the Making of Modern California’ (Akron: University of Akron Press, 1997) and developed courses in the history of technology and the environment as well as in California studies. While at De Anza, I served on the board and was treasurer of the Society for the History of Technology, was executive secretary of the California Committee for the Promotion of History, and was a board member and vice president of the International Committee for the History of Technology.”

Retirement plans:
“I will sail and otherwise mess about on boats, do more bicycle riding, travel, play jazz piano, do some reading and writing, and teach the occasional course to keep the mind alive.”

Judith Johnson

CAOS instructor, 16 years of service

Contributions:
“Professionally, De Anza has provided me with excellent avenues for growth. Perhaps the most significant is in the area of Web-based distance learning. I started teaching Web-based distance learning in 1997 and have enjoyed collaborating with colleagues and working with hundreds of students. Personally, my life has been enriched by the relationships I’ve developed with the many people at De Anza who make our college a fascinating place to work and learn.”

Retirement plans:
“I’m not retiring; I’m transitioning. I’m moving to Alexandria, Va., to be closer to my daughter, Celeste. She has been working with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq, and will return to Arlington in late June. My son, Clinton, and his family live in Minnesota, so I plan to visit my three beautiful grandchildren much more often. In addition, I hope to find work that will satisfy my curiosity and contribute in some way to the families of those in our armed forces. Incidentally, both my children began their college careers at De Anza; and I’m proud of the role De Anza played in helping them reach their ultimate goals.”

Alice Nelson

CAOS instructor, eight years at De Anza (three in Contract Instruction and five in CAOS) and eight years at Foothill (Contract Instruction), for a total of 16 years

Contributions:
“My first contribution was the development, design and implementation of contract education and training programs for corporations throughout the Silicon Valley. My second contribution was the development of custom-designed, self-paced publications for the CAOS lab. It was challenging and rewarding to work in the CAOS lab where we taught close to 50 software applications.”

Retirement plans:
“I want to give back in my retirement by volunteering in several ways. For instance, I carry out computer projects at my church; serve as an officer in the Century Club of California, a private women’s club in San Francisco; and mentor and counsel at a half-way house for women in transition from prison. In addition, my husband Swede and I will golf and travel both domestically and internationally. Our most exciting project right now is planning a trip around the world next year.”

Joanne Hames

Paralegal instructor/coordinator, 15 years full time and 12 years part time

Contributions:
“I believe my most significant contribution was to assist in the creation of De Anza’s Paralegal Program and then help to get it approved by the American Bar Association in 1993. It was the first program approved by that association in Santa Clara County. Since its inception, hundreds of students have completed the program and found work as paralegals in the community.”

Retirement plans:
“The nice thing about retirement is not having to plan what I will do. I have never had any problem finding things to do and won’t when I retire!”