Delivering “Oceans of Information” from and about Golden West College
January/February 2005 Issue
Wes Bryan Appointed as
Seventh College President
Wes Bryan became the seventh president of Golden West College on
January 1. He succeeds Dr. Kenneth D. Yglesias, who was selected as
chancellor of the district, taking office July 1, 2004. Since July, Sharon
Donoff has served as interim president of the college.
Q. Wes, how do you see your presidency?
This will be a transformational time for the college. I have always
believed in a vision—a shared vision. Fortunately, the new master plan
provides the college with a pathway document, a vision of the next six to
ten years. I worked closely with the constituency groups and co-chaired
the committee that developed the master plan.
The institution is in a significant transition. When you think of all the
faculty, administrators, and classified staff that have retired in the past
three or four years, you can see that we are getting ready to hand off the
college to a new population that will shepherd the college for the next 30
years. The people who have their roots here will be able to help select the
people who will replace them.
In turning over this established campus to this new generation, we
must do it in such a manner that they will have the same opportunity that
we had to shape a new institution. We don’t know what the college will
look like in 30 years, but we can position it as solidly as when we got it.
The vision in the new master plan reflects what I think is best for the
institution. For me, the vision in the master plan is like a blueprint of my
vision. I do not plan to take the institution in some other direction. I feel
blessed in becoming the president of this college, not any place else,
because my career has been here.
We wish Wes great success in his presidency, but Wavelength wanted to
get to know the man behind the job, so we asked him to tell us about his
family background.
Q. What is life like away from campus?
I have two loves in life: my family and this institution! My wife Terri and
I have five children. My oldest daughter is in her early 30’s and attended
GWC. She transferred to U.C. Santa Cruz, where she majored in theater
arts. She is a substitute teacher in Long Beach, involved in small community theater. My 23 year old son attended GWC and now lives in Hawaii
where he is working in construction and enjoying island life. My 20 year
old son will be completing his degree at GWC during the 2005 winter session. He has played on the water polo team. He will be spending the
spring semester in Spain. I have a daughter who has taken some classes
at GWC who will be graduating from Long Beach Poly High School.
Next year, in college, she intends to major in Comparative Literature. My
youngest son is a freshman at Milliken High School in Long Beach and
plays on the varsity water polo team. A lot of what I do away from campus is being involved in my children’s activities; my kids have all played
soccer or water polo or been in play productions.
Q. Do you have time to work on hobbies or outside interests?
The closest hobby I have had is learning to use the computer. I have gone
from having very little interest in technology to recognizing that the computer is an essential tool, a doorway to the world.
Terri and I have been doing some remodeling of our home and are currently putting in a Mediterranean garden and a new deck. We have done
a lot of the work ourselves. This two and a half year project has been a
very enjoyable one, with a life of its own.
Q. What type of pleasure reading do you do?
Generally I pick an author and read the three or four books the person has
written. I have just finished Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and am currently reading his third book. Most of my pleasure reading is done during
the summer because I like to read a novel over a three or four day period.
I like to live in the book.
continued on page 2
Wes Bryan continued from page 1
Q. As a family, do you have favorite recreational
activities?
Our family has enjoyed camping during the summers and on
some weekends. For the past two years, there hasn’t been
time for camping because with three kids at home and very
active in sport activities, we have spent most of our free
time going to games. They also surf; so we hit the beach
some Sunday mornings. I grew up in the south bay area of
Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach in a surf environment.
When I was younger, I surfed-- but not now. However, this
past Christmas morning my sons got an indoor surfboard
which is on a roller. I watched them practice all day. At
about 5 p.m., when no one was looking, I said to myself, “I
can do that,” and decided to try out the board. The board
went in one direction, and I went in the other. I injured my
shoulder and had to go to the doctor and had to fill out an
accident report. I listed that I hurt myself on a Christmas
toy; for a moment, I thought I was 20! I blamed my sons
because they made it look so easy. Editor’s note: Wes tore
his shoulder rotator cuff and had successful surgery to
repair the tear, but mending will require many weeks of
physical therapy. We wish Wes a full recovery!
The 13th Annual President’s Courtyard of Honor ceremony was held October 19,
2004. Golden West College honored 5 Alumni Pillars of Achievement and 4
Pillars of Support. GWC alumni of 10 years or more that have been successful in
their area of study qualify for the Pillar of Achievement recognition. Individuals
or companies that have contributed $25,000 or more to Golden West College are
honored as a Pillar of Support.
Q. Is there anything that you would like our readers to
know about you that has not been covered in this
interview?
“All my life I have been a Rustler.”
continued on page 4
Alumni Pillars of Achievement
left to right- Ron Catt, Yvette Verastegui, Dr. David Chipman,
Rosemarie Hirsch, and Andrew Hall
Ron Catt, the owner of Ron Catt Automotive Inc. in Huntington Beach, has a
multi-million dollar a year company with 10 full-time employees. They specialize in complete automotive services for foreign and domestic vehicles.
Yvette Verastegui, Los Angeles County alternate deputy public defender, was
the commencement speaker in 2004. In addition to Yvette’s outstanding work in
law, she has been honored for her work in civil rights and community service.
Dr. David L. Chipman, GWC Patrons member, is a successful chiropractor
working in Huntington Beach. For the past eight years, he has been a dedicated
member of Kiwanis International, helping to improve the lives of seniors, families, and children worldwide.
Rosemarie Hirsch, for the past 29 years, has been a pillar of excellence for the
nursing profession. She is currently assistant director of the St. Joseph Hospital
Extended Campus program at Santa Ana College.
Andrew E. Hall, police chief of Westminster Police Department, began his law
enforcement career with the Westminster Police Department in 1981 after graduating from Golden West College Police Academy. His background in law
enforcement receives high respect from his peers and the community he serves.
Pillars of Support
The Dorothy Beatrice Duthie Pillar
Golden West College honored Dorothy Beatrice Duthie, who has profoundly enriched the lives of so many—family, friends, former colleagues, and students. She funds a scholarship in gratitude for the
financial aid and confidence extended to her when she was en route to
a second career in education. Pictured above is Christina Duthie,
Dorothy’s daughter. The Dorothy Beatrice Duthie Pillar is located just
outside the Counseling Offices.
The Elmore Toyota Pillar
Serving communities since 1966, Elmore Toyota is a proud sponsor of
Golden West College and Coast Community College District. Elmore
Toyota believes that investing in the community today develops better
futures. “A Partnership Driven By The Power To Excel.”
Left to right: Judy Elmore, President of Elmore Toyota and Marc
Kelso, General Manager, Elmore Hyundai. The Elmore Toyota Pillar is
located outside the GWC Bookstore.
The Bonnie Chanine Robinson Pillar
The Union Bank of California Pillar
Bonnie Chanine Robinson was a charter faculty member at Golden
West College. She retired in 1993 as a professor of English. The pillar
is dedicated in memory of Bonnie by Radford, her loving husband of
45 years. The Bonnie Chanine Robinson Pillar is located in the
Humanities courtyard.
Union Bank of California offers Golden West College the latest technology to enhance its students' educational experiences. They’re committed to investing time and resources in customers, shareholders,
employees, and communities. Left to right: Tito D. Ibarrola, VP Union
Bank of CA; Roslyn Sherrill, AVP Union Bank of CA. The Union
Bank Pillar is located outside the GWC Bookstore.
Wes Bryan continued from page 2
A Presidential Bio
Wes has been a part of the Golden West
College community for more than two
decades. He has served as the vice president of
instruction since 1999. Prior to that, he was a
speech communication instructor for 22 years,
and served several terms on the Academic
Senate. He received bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in speech communication from
California State University Long Beach. He
holds lifetime credentials as a California community college instructor, supervisor and chief
administrative officer. He has also taught at
Azusa Pacific University, CSU Long Beach,
CSU Dominguez Hills and Long Beach City
College.
Board President Walter Howald said Wes
has exhibited decisive and creative leadership as vice president, and is confident that
he will continue to expertly guide Golden
West through these changing times as president. Wes served as co-chair of the task force
revising the college’s academic master plan.
This committee guided the college through a
review of the college mission, vision and educational philosophy. Chancellor Yglesias
commended his ability to work with the
entire college community to develop an
ambitious and exciting plan for the future of
Golden West College. He stated, “There is
no one better suited than he to see that plan
come to fruition. He is fully committed to
the college’s mission to support students’
goals and interest in higher education,
employment preparation and citizenship.”
Wes said he is honored to have been selected
for this leadership position and looks forward
to serving the students, faculty and staff as the
next president of Golden West College. He
summed it by saying, “Our future is bright;
our plans to serve the students of our community are ambitious, and I am looking forward to this opportunity!”
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
and Elmore Toyota
present the 8th annual
GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE
Gala
"Where an evening of formal attire
supports an afternoon of caps and gowns"
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort
Silent Auction | Live Auction | Dinner & Dancing
$150 per person/$1500 per table
Call the Foundation Office for reservations, 714.895.8316
Gala Opportunity Drawing
Donated by ELMORE TOYOTA
DONATION: $100
There are only 200 chances available at $100 per ticket
(Don’t delay! Only the first 200 tickets received will be accepted for the drawing)
TOTAL VALUE: over $19,000
Tax and license are the responsibility of the recipient (approx. $1,600)
For tickets or more information, call the Foundation Office 714.895.8316
Contact Wavelength if you have interesting articles or suggestions: Public Relations Office, 714-895-8903
Wavelength reserves the right to edit submitted articles.
For a color version of Wavelength, visit our website: www.gwc.info/publicrelations
• • • PLEASE NOTIFY US OF ADDRESS CHANGES • • •
15744 Golden West Street • Huntington Beach, CA 92647
714.892.7711 | www.gwc.info
Wavelength Staff:
John Wordes, editor
Edith Cardinali, copy editor
Debbie Bales, design editor
Golden West College
Sharon Donoff., Interim President
Coast Community College District Board of Trustees
Paul G. Berger • George E. Brown • Walter G. Howald
Jerry Patterson • Armando R. Ruiz
Heather Larson, Student Trustee
Kenneth D. Yglesias, Ed.D., Chancellor