Alpha Gamma Rho - UC Davis Articles Feed

Brother Gray Passes Away

Jeremy Turner — 2011-12-06 07:49:00 -0800

By GUY KOVNER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:19 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:19 p.m.

Joseph Grant Gray, a Sonoma County deputy agricultural commissioner, died of an apparent heart ailment Thursday in Sacramento just after returning from a Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii with his mother.

Gray, 47, collapsed at Sacramento International Airport just after deplaning, said his brother, John Gray of Rohnert Park.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors adjourned Tuesday’s meeting in honor of Gray, a Cotati resident who joined the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office in 1996 and was promoted to deputy commissioner in 2002.

Gray was “loved and respected” by his colleagues and by “the agricultural community as a whole,” Supervisor David Rabbitt said.

A Central Valley native who worked at fruit packing plants and on his father’s ranch, Gray became involved in North Bay agriculture professionally and personally as a wine aficionado and a volunteer with 4-H, Future Farmers of America, Sonoma County Farm Bureau and the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, where he served as a judge.

A past president of the Active 20-30 Club of the North Bay, Gray was involved with the club’s fishing derby and back-to-school shopping spree for school children. He also volunteered at the Boy Scout camp in Mendocino County.

“His smile would light up a room,” said Judy James of Cotati, former Farm Bureau executive director, describing Gray as an “easygoing, happy guy.”

Her husband, Jeff James, and Gray were fellow members of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity at UC Davis and reunited after Gray arrived in Sonoma County.

Gray’s interests included snow skiing, waterfowl hunting, wine tasting and regular attendance at Jimmy Buffett concerts as “a true Parrothead,” Judy James said.

John Gray said his brother did “crazy stuff,” such as dressing up as a pirate and waving a California flag as a spectator at Tour of California bicycle races.

Born and raised in Winters, Gray grew up amid the area’s fruit ranches, dominated by apricots and peaches. In high school, he helped his father take out apricots and plant walnut trees, which displaced the fruit crop.

Gray graduated from Winters High School in 1982, then earned an ag science and management degree at UC Davis in 1988. He worked for the Yolo and Fresno county agriculture commissioners’ offices before coming to Sonoma County in 1996.

Gray had accompanied his mother, Mary Louise Gray, on a 16-day trip to Hawaii just before he died.

Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Friday in Winters. Memorial donations may be made to the Joseph Grant Gray Scholarship, with checks payable to the AGR Phi Endowment Fund, c/o Andy Kennedy, 1500 Pembroke Way, Dixon, 95620.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20111206/ARTICLES/111209663?p=1&tc=pg

Cline Cellars Legends Release Wine Tasting

Jeremy Turner — 2010-11-05 13:08:00 -0700

Please join us at Cline Cellars and relax with a glass of Cline Cashmere. This wine has been selected as our 2010 Vintage Aggies Wine Club Legends Release. You’ll enjoy great appetizers, a variety of Cline Cellars wine and Aggie camaraderie. You may also place your order at the event for our specialty Vintage Aggies Holiday gift box.

Cline Cellars proudly donates a portion of this wine's sale to fight breast cancer and is a proud sponsor of Breast Cancer Network of Strength's Ride to Empower.

Saturday, November 6
3 - 5 p.m.
Cline Cellars
24737 Arnold Drive/Highway 121
Sonoma, California 95476

$20 for CAAA and Parent Association Members
$25 for Nonmembers
You are also welcome to sign up for the event on site.

For directions to Cline Cellars, please click here.

For information about our Vintage Aggie Wine Club please visit http://www.vintageaggieswineclub.com/

For more information, please contact Jennifer Thayer '02 at jsthayer@ucdavis.edu or (530)754-9098.

Brother William Hubert Brooks III Passes away

Jeremy Turner — 2010-10-07 22:42:00 -0700

William (Bill) Hurbert Brooks III passed peacefully in his home in Ukiah Tuesday evening October 5, 2010, surrounded by his wife of 65 years Betty Brooks and the rest of his family including his daughter Bonnie Brooks and her husband Jim Strong, their children Steven, Stacey and Scott, his daughter Babbie Mayfield and her husband Jim Mayfield and their children James and Jillian. Bill was known throughout Mendocino County as the local Farm Advisor when he worked for the University of California Cooperative Extension or 37 years specializing in range management. Bill was born November 23, 1921 in Paola Kansas to William and Ruth Brooks. As a young child Bill's family moved to California where he later attended Colusa Union High School. Bill loved sports, music and adventure growing up. He often often entertained his family and friends telling tales of playing baseball running track and hopping freight trains to attend dances in nearby Sacramento. Bill served in the U.S. Air Corp as a navigator, Second Lieutenant during WWII. His keen wit and knowledge not only helped him gain his officer status but it once saved his bomber crew as the enemy had jammed the navigation instruments and Bill's ability to use the stars brought them back to their home airport after flying deep into enemy territory. In December of 1944 Bill married the girl that first turned his head in a school Library. While still in the service they were married when Betty met him at the military base in Caspar Wyoming. After the war Bill returned to finish his education at the University of California Davis where he did graduate work and received his degree in Agronomy. Bill was an active member of the AGR fraternity reuniting yearly with his fraternity brothers. Bill joined the University Extension office in 1948 and became County Director of Cooperative Extension in 1955. Bill visited almost every inch of Mendocino County helping local ranchers improve their rangelands. Bill agronomy contributions did not end in Mendocino County. His involvement in the American Society for Range Management brought him to many regions including the USSR in the early 1970's and he spent one year in Morocco with his wife Betty in the early 1980s where he worked to improve rangelands there. An active member of the Scottish Rite and the Ridgewood Masonic Lodge #146 F&AM; Bill also loved to hunt, fish, ski, play tennis, play bridge and go for long walks with his dog. Bill and Betty traveled the world. A passionate grandfather and sports fan he rarely missed a grandchild's event. He did all of these well into his 80s. When asked to speak during family gatherings, he would always end by saying"be of stout heart." A memorial Service will be held on Friday October 8th at Eversole Mortuary at 1:00 P.M.. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Shriners Hospitals for Children at 2425 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95817-2215. Arrangements are under the direction of the Eversole Mortuary.

Published in Ukiah Daily Journal on October 7, 2010

IM Softball Update

Chase DeCoite — 2010-05-15 09:48:00 -0700

To date our intramural softball team is 4-0. The men of Alpha Gamma Rho are headed to the playoffs beginning Sunday, May 16th at 1pm on the Hutchison IM Fields on campus near the Dairy. Winner of that game goes on to play Delta Sig on Tuesday night at 8pm! We are hoping for a long and successful playoff run as we finish out the 2009-2010 school year! Any and all support is welcome!

-Chase DeCoite

Alumni Facilitators Wanted!

Sam Ziadeh — 2010-05-14 11:00:00 -0700

Greetings! I am writing to present you with an exciting opportunity to help support AGR, travel the US and make money while doing it!

Sigma Alpha and Alpha Gamma Rho are looking for 4 talented alumni Facilitators to assist with the Leadership Seminars for spring 2011. Selected speakers will be paid $250 per seminar for a total $1000 for all four seminars for their time plus all travel costs will be reimbursed. It is also our intention that this experience can enhance your resume and help to further advance your professional career.

Expectations are that each speaker would lead several sessions at each seminar. Please be aware that there is a time commitment required. Your presence will be required for two training sessions in October and January, as well as the seminars themselves in Reno (Feb. 11-12), Oklahoma City (Feb. 18-19), Indianapolis (Feb. 25-26) and Baltimore (March 4-5).

If you are interested in this position please see the attached document and send application materials as indicated to Josh Wackler (wack@alphagammarho.org). Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2010. The Leadership Seminar Steering Committee will conduct phone interviews with qualifying applicants.

We are excited to provide this opportunity and hope you will take advantage of it.

JOSH WACKLER

Chief Recruitment Officer

Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity

Alumni President' Report

Sam Ziadeh — 2010-04-05 10:15:00 -0700

Dear Brothers,

The remodel is done! New windows in the downstairs common areas, an expanded Orville & Erna Thomas study room and a completely remodeled kitchen. I want to thank Sam Ziadeh, Stewart Guthrie, and especially Jeran Leymaster for everything they did to get this done. The undergrads immediately began their search for a cook and hired Nancy Cole who, as the spouse of a Chi chapter alum, is fitting in well with the house. Now our job is to teach these undergrads how to run a formal dinner. We discussed this at the last Board meeting and quickly realized that since it has been 20 years or more since most of us have eaten at the house, we don’t recall all the traditions. We are in the process of putting together what we remember and are open to all the help we can get. Let us know what your favorite and least favorite traditions/customs were during dinner. If you happen to be in Davis, stop by for dinner. It is held Sunday through Thursday at 7:00P.M.

Next up is the annual Alumni Banquet. This event will be held in the AGR Room at the Walter H. Beuler Alumni Center on Saturday, February 13th beginning at 6:00 P.M. If you did not receive your invitation, please contact Jeremy Turner at (530)334-6247. Otherwise we hope to see you there.

Finally, Picnic Day, is just around the corner. It will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Fraternally,

Brett Tank

President-Phi Chapter Alumni Association

Noble Ruler’s Report

Sam Ziadeh — 2010-03-31 11:28:00 -0700

Greeting to all and I hope this reaches you with in health and happiness. As the newly elected Noble Ruler of the Phi chapter I am pleased to announce that things at 1111 Drake Dr have never been better. There have been many improvements to the house since the start of school, and the actives could not be having a more productive school year, in the first two quarters of the school year the house GPA has continued to rise and we have initiated seven new members.

During the summer 1111 Drake Dr had extensive renovations to the kitchen, the Orville and Erna Thompson study room and to several of the downstairs bedrooms. Brother Jeran Leymaster was responsible for the remodel and did an outstanding job. The amount of space that has been opened up is extremely functional and the study room has never been used more. With the remodel came the hiring of a new house cook and the establishment of a meal plan leading to a much healthier and happier house. In addition, the actives have been working on the creation of a vineyard on a previously unused section of the yard. All of this would not have been possible without the generosity, commitment, and support from the Alumni Board.

The house currently has 27 undergrads and we are constantly improving our recruitment while finding new members. We have been quickly filling up our calendars for the upcoming quarters including one of our very successful hunters’ education courses, and assisting other on campus organizations. Our beloved house advisor Jeremy Turner was relocated with his job down to southern California and had to resign as our advisor, the undergraduate brothers are asking if there are any alumni who are interested in returning to the house we are in the process of finding a replacement.

The actives hope to see as many alumni as possible on Picnic Day coming up on April 17^th for lunch at the house, there will be plenty of food and fun so bring the whole family and enjoy a wonderful meal with all the brothers of the Phi chapter. Thank you for all of your continued support and have a wonderful year.

Fraternally,

Zachary Duey, #1092

Noble Ruler

New Member Bio's

Sam Ziadeh — 2010-03-31 11:12:00 -0700

Brother Curato

My name is Robert Johnathan Curato, and I was practically born into agriculture; I learned to drive tractors in my grandparent’s orchard long before I learned to drive cars on the road. In 2009, I received my A.A. in Business Administration from Shasta College in Redding, California and subsequently transferred to UC Davis. I promptly joined Alpha Gamma Rho as the 1117^th member of the Davis Phi Chapter during my first quarter, and was nominated to the position of VNR Scholarship during my second; I am currently majoring in Plant Sciences with an emphasis in Plant Breeding and Genetics. I plan to receive my Ph. D. in the Plant Sciences major, become involved in researching the potential for more effective drought-tolerant fruit tree rootstocks, and eventually enter the teaching profession at the university level.

Brother DeCoite

My name is Chase Jeffrey DeCoite and I am a 2^nd year student from San Jose, California. I graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School in 2008 where I was involved in numerous different activities including football and student government. My family roots in the dairy industry have led to my becoming an Animal Science major with an emphasis in livestock and dairy, and aspiring to attend Veterinary School after my undergraduate studies. Currently I am actively involved on campus in Aggie Ambassadors as the Student Tours Officer and in the last year planned the National Agricultural Ambassador Conference here at UC Davis hosting over 300 students from around the country. After learning about the Phi Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho I joined as the 1118^th initiate and have since assumed the positions of Vending Officer and House Mother Liaison. I couldn’t be more excited to be an AGR.

Brother Soza

My name is Steven Soza and I hope to reveive a B.S. in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis. During my freshmen year, I was a redshirt on the Collegiate Water Polo team. I decided that college sports was not a good match for me and joined the Alpha Gamma Rho Phi chapter as the 1119^th member in Fall 2009 and haven’t looked back since. I grew up in Walnut Creek California and attended Las Lomas High School where I was a member of the Swimming and Water Polo teams. I have no agriculture background but I plan to work in Napa as a vineyard manager and maybe one day eventually own a winery. I enjoy the outdoors and love to go camping, backpacking, water skiing and hunting. I gained my love of the outdoors from being in the Boy Scouts where I earned the rank of Eagle when I was 17.

Brother Wolpert

My name is Jason Tyler Wolpert. I was born September 2^nd 1988 in Fresno, CA. I resided in Fresno for 18 years before moving out for college. While I was in Fresno I attended Bullard High School where I played volleyball, ran cross country, and participated in track and field. After leaving high school I came directly to UC Davis majoring in Environmental Science policy Analysis and Planning. I quickly became interested in political science and soon decided to change my major. During my third year at Davis I learned of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and haven’t left since. I became the 1120^th member of the Phi chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho. While at Davis I joined the Davis Fire Crew that does wild land firefighting in Mendocino National Forest. After graduating I plan on exploring an option in the United States Air Force where I plan to fly a helicopter. Ever since I can remember I have been in the outdoors. Whether it’s camping with the family, fishing with my dad, or backpacking with my friends the outdoors have always been a second home.

Brother Ford

My name is Edward Thomas Ford Jr. I was born April 20, 1989 in Yuba City, Ca. I have lived in District 10, Ca. (which is located between Marysville and Oroville on Hwy 70) all of my life. My family owns and operates a small farm, which consists of 14 acres of prunes. I attended Sutter Union High School. In that time I played football, wrestling, track, basketball, baseball, soccer, and golf. After high school, I attended Yuba Community College for two years. This year, I transferred to UC Davis. At Davis, I joined the Phi chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho and was admitted as the chapter’s 1121st member. I am majoring in International Relations with and emphasis in Peace and Security and minoring Mandarin Chinese. After Davis, I plan on going to law school. I would like to work in China and specialize in international trade and commerce law. All my life I have been fond of the outdoors. I spent my early childhood being carried out to the duck blind on my dad’s back. I got my hunting license when I was 6 and have been hooked ever since. I am also and avid angler. I love both fly-fishing and bass fishing.