Highlights from
2019 Class Notes
Class Notes chronicles important events in the lives of UCLA alumni – from changes in employment to accolades for achievement, from new Bruin unions to the passing of our valued UCLA family members. We’ve assembled some of the highlights from this past year.
Michelle King '84
Michelle King '84, the first black woman to be superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, passed away Feb. 2. She was 57. King, who worked for the district for over thirty years as a teacher and administrator, was selected in 2010 by Superintendent Ramón Cortines to serve as his chief of staff.
Robert Roizen '13
Robert Roizen '13, Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer of Feedonomics, was named in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 List under the Retail & eCommerce category. The esteemed list features top entrepreneurs, innovators and disruptors who are transforming business and society.
Brandi Woo '14 and Gregory Golden '14
Brandi Woo '14 and Gregory Golden '14 announced their engagement, the wedding to take place in May 2020. Woo is pursuing her M.D. at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (expected graduation 2020); Golden is pursuing his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences.
Melissa Berton '89
The film "Period. End of Sentence," produced by Melissa Berton '89 along with Lisa Taback and Garrett Schiff, won the Oscar for best documentary short subject at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24. Berton, who earned her B.A. from the School of Theater, Film and Television, majoring in theater, is an English teacher at Oakwood Secondary School in North Hollywood.
James J. Agazzi '63, M.A. '67
James J. Agazzi '63, M.A. '67, an Emmy-winning art director as well as a writer and director, passed away Sept. 15 at age 78. Born in Joliet, Ill., on October 23, 1940, Agazzi earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Theater Arts at UCLA, where he was set designer and assistant director for a productions such as "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, "Once Upon a Mattress," and "110 In the Shade."
Carlos Dominguez '01
Carlos Dominguez '01, a deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, received the California Attorney General award for his significant contributions to the community. He also was honored as "Volunteer of the Year" by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for his pro bono work with the Domestic Violence Project at the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Natasha Behl, M.A. '06, Ph.D. '10
A new book by Natasha Behl, M.A. '06, Ph.D. '10, "Gendered Citizenship: Understanding Gendered Violence in Democratic India," was recently published by Oxford University Press. Behl is currently assistant professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University.
Dr. James D. Collins '57, M.A. '59
Dr. James D. Collins '57, M.A. '59, passed away on Friday, December 21, 2018, at age 87. He was a professor of radiology at UCLA and was the senior member of the department, having completed his radiology residency at UCLA in 1968 and having been continuously on the faculty since that time.
Jonathan "Jay" Sures '07
Jonathan "Jay" Sures '07 was appointed in January to the University of California Board of Regents by Jerry Brown in one of the former governor's last official acts. Sures is co-president and one of the three managing directors who run and oversee all aspects of leading global entertainment company, United Talent Agency (UTA).
Gil Ramirez '05 and Suz Park Ramirez '10
Gil Ramirez '05 and Suz Park Ramirez '10 were engaged in June 2016. Having bonded over their passion for travel, they have visited 14 countries together.
Channing Dungey '91
Channing Dungey '91 has joined the Children’s Institute's Board of Trustees. Before joining Netflix in March as Vice President of Original Series, Dungey had served as President of ABC Entertainment and previously held positions at 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.
Patricia Thompson Thomas '48, M.A. '68
Patricia Thompson Thomas '48, M.A. '68, died at age 93 from age-related illnesses at her longtime home in Encino on May 24. Patricia Thompson met the love of her life, Bob Thomas, in 1947 at the UCLA Daily Bruin newspaper, where they were both columnists.
These Bruins are a small subset of the many whose accomplishments and memories we honored in 2019. If you would like your story or that of another Bruin celebrated in a Class Note, please visit our website or email us at classnotes@support.ucla.edu. Please indicate your name and include the subject’s name and class year(s).
Our Proud Partners
