Ayana Johnson , MS , PhD ’ 11 , was named among “ 27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment ” in ELLE magazine .
2011
Ashley Ching , Warren , was elected to a four-year term as an executive of 3,000 Toastmasters .
Colin Santulli , MPIA , is a climate advisor for the Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the City of San Diego . He previously worked on autonomous vehicle initiatives for San Diego Association of Governments .
2012
Sadie Barnette , MFA , an Oakland-based artist , presented her first solo museum presentation , “ The New Eagle Creek Saloon ,” at the Institute of Contemporary Art , Los Angeles . The saloon was the first black-owned gay bar in San Francisco . It was established by the artist ’ s father , Rodney Barnette , and operated in the early 1990s .
Tarina Mand , Revelle , is an associate attorney in the San Diego office of Klinedinst PC , a business law firm .
Chris Yang , Marshall , and Maggie Ho , Warren , opened Yang ’ s Kitchen , a Chinese fusion restaurant , in Alhambra , Calif .
Saving Kurt Vonnegut
BY KIRBY WRIGHT ’ 83
DURING MY UCSD DAYS , I ’ d get to rub elbows with visiting writers by assisting the University Events Office with airport pickup . I once got a pep talk from Kurt Vonnegut , who told me I reminded him of John Irving , his former student . “ You ’ re loose , Kirby ,” he said , “ and that ’ s a good thing . John was loose too .”
I wondered what exactly he meant by “ loose .” He hadn ’ t read a single word I ’ d written . Did Vonnegut mean I seemed relaxed and spontaneous ? Maybe he was referring to the joie de vivre of me announcing I was going for a dip in the pool after checking him into La Jolla ’ s swanky La Valencia Hotel . I swan-dived into the deep end , surfaced , and watched Vonnegut circle the pool wringing his hands , like a trial attorney about to present his case to the jury .
After about 10 circles , he flopped down on a lounge chair , lit a Pall Mall , and blew smoke through his nose . I suggested we buy a few rounds of Black Russians before sunset . His sold-out “ So You Want to Be a Writer ” talk had been scheduled for seven sharp at the gym , and I figured a little booze might relax him .
It did . Vonnegut was as cool as ice behind the podium . His talk made me want to be a writer more than ever and I think he inspired a lot of those in attendance as well . He answered questions thoughtfully ; his jokes sent waves of laughter through the sea of fans .
After he finished , the crowd swelled up and swept toward the stage for autographs . They pushed and pushed , waving copies of Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat ’ s Cradle . The pushing continued until all those bodies pressed in and pinned Vonnegut against the second-floor railing . I knew a few more pushes would shove him over that railing and down two floors . I picked out the six biggest guys I could find and had them form a protective half-circle between him and the front line . “ Push !” I told them . We moved the mob back a few feet . I saw an opening and grabbed Vonnegut ’ s forearm . I snuck him through a corridor , out an open door , and we scrambled down two flights of steps . We were alone in the night air and I was breathing hard . So was Vonnegut . We were like teammates who ’ d somehow snuck through a horde of would-be tacklers to reach the end zone . “ Let ’ s get whiskey , brother ,” he told me . “ I know just the place ,” I said .
Kirby Michael Wright ’ 83 is a writer in Hawaii . His books include the comingof-age island novel Punahou Blues and The Queen of Molokai , based on the life of his paniolo grandmother .
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