May 5, 2015 Luncheon
John Dizikes
The Silver Slugs certainly know how to put on a great feed! We were treated to delicious food and enjoyed reconnecting with friends/colleagues. So who could ask for more?
Well, the highlight of the event was our guest speaker, Professor Emeritus John Dizikes. As one of the founding fellows of Cowell College he shared just a small handful of his interesting and humorous experiences and interactions with people during the early days of UCSC. He repeatedly stressed the key role played by all of the staff members who made things work then and continue to keep things going now.
Retirees were asked to stand up according to when they came to the University. Several came to campus (most as staff but some as students) during the 60’s & 70’s and every decade thereafter was represented. So it was a walk down memory lane for many and an eye-opener for others as they heard how things “used to be.”
The “conversation” (as John preferred to call the event) continued as he asked several retirees to share their own stories about campus experiences, the town, etc. A couple Santa Cruz natives talked about the campus dirt roads and others shared wonderful class/professor memories. Others talked about the difficulties of a new campus. John shared accounts of his introduction to sleepy downtown Santa Cruz. And the stories went on. It was a very special event.
