For the good and enlightenment of retirees
Per information received from Steve Gunderson, Miriam’s son, Miriam Gunderson passed on June 25, 2019. Miriam worked at the District Office as administrative assistant to Dr. Bill Lawson. Services for Miriam will be held on July 12, 2019 at 10 am at Pierce Bros Cemetery in Westlake Village.
An obituary has not yet been published. We will provide a link to it as soon as it is published.
To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.
Last week, the VCCCDRA Board learned of the passing of George Wymer on December 24, 2017. Below is a shortened version of George’s obituary that was published by the VC Star on December 30, 2017. Below the text is a link to the full obituary.
February 14, 1945 – December 24, 2017
George Edward Wymer, seventy-two years of age, passed away in his sleep in the early morning hours of December 24, 2017. He is survived by his two daughters, Wendy Wymer Frost and Jennifer Ann Wing, and their children and grandchildren.
George was born on the fourteenth of February, 1945 in Redding, California to Diane and Louie Wymer. He grew up in the small town of Central Valley, California in Shasta County where he enjoyed playing baseball, reading comic books, hanging out with his friends and swimming in Lake Shasta.
He had his first job there working at the local movie theatre running the projector. George graduated from Central Valley High School in 1962. George attended Shasta College and graduated with an Associate Arts degree in 1964. He and his wife, Lola, moved to Chico, California where he attended and graduated from Chico State University with both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English in 1967 and 1968, respectively.
After graduating, George moved his family to the beach in Ventura, California where he got a job as an English teacher at Ventura College. George worked at Ventura College for forty-two years until he retired in 2009. Throughout the course of his career he helped create the film program and the creative arts magazine at Ventura College. Over the years he shared his love of nature, film, creativity, poetry, satire, photography, writing, reading and literature with the thousands of students he taught during his long career. While his academic career was very important to him he most of all enjoyed spending time with his family especially his grandchildren. His retirement was rich with laughter, love, and family time.
Throughout his life, he displayed incredible generosity of spirit and a deep loving kindness towards all of those he came in contact with. He was the most giving, dedicated and loving father, a super amazing grandfather and great-grandfather, and a loyal and sweet friend. We are all better for having had him in our lives. He will be deeply missed.
Ojai has been home for George since the 1980’s. He loved the amazing colors of Ojai’s sunsets, particularly the Pink Moment, of which he often took pictures.
To read the full obituary, please use the following link.
To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.
From Harry Cullota:
“William (Bill) Shilley passed away on April 5 at the age of 90. He had many careers – priest, family and marriage counselor, and instructor – and was the founding instructor of the Alcohol and Drugs Studies program (later renamed Addictive Disorders Studies) at Oxnard College. This is a program that exists within the District only at Oxnard College, a program for which Bill worked very diligently to develop its curriculum. Bill was such a dedicated instructor that he taught full time for many years, only retiring at the age of 79. Even after retiring, he continued teaching part time in the program for many years thereafter.
Betty Fiorentine’s obituary was published in Ventura County Star on Apr. 21, 2019
“Betty Jane Fiorentine passed away on April 5, 2019 after a long illness with her loving family at her side.
“Betty was born in Peoria, Illinois on July 2, 1920 and met her husband, Ralph Fiorentine, while both were attending the University of Illinois. They married in Illinois in 1941 and moved to Ventura in 1946.
“Betty was a full-time mom until her children grew up and then worked as Registrar at Oxnard College for many years until retiring.
“Betty is survived by sons, Tom (Linda), Bob, Jim and daughter, Marianne (Jeff) Maichen and four grandchildren, Matthew and Kellen Maichen and Jonathan and Andrei Fiorentine. Betty was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years Ralph; her son, John, and grandson, Evin.
“Betty loved playing bridge, tending her roses and traveling. She was a member of a dinner club with close friends for over 50 years and a member of Knit Wits..
“Most of all, she was a loving and devoted mother to her 5 children.
“A Celebration of Life will be held in Ventura in early July.”
To leave a memory or message for the family, please use this link.
It is with deep regret and sadness that VCCCDRA announces the passing of William “Bill” Shilley, founding faculty of the Addictive Disorder Studies Program at Oxnard College and a beloved professor of thousands of students. Bill retired in 2007 but continued to teach part-time at OC. At his passing, Bill was teaching one Spring 2019 semester class of ADS R101, Overview of Addiction. Bill was known and highly regarded throughout the State of California in the field of Addiction Studies and Prevention. He advised many colleges in the State on the establishment of their own addiction studies programs. Bill was on the board of California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE) for over thirty years, and continued to his passing. Bill was instrumental in establishing accreditation standards for Alcohol/Drug Studies Programs in California.
Cards may be sent to Bill’s daughter, Kristin Shilley, at:
8058 Denver St.
Ventura, CA 93004
Funeral arrangements are pending.
To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.
It is with deep regret and sadness that VCCCDRA announces the passing of long time friend and colleague, Bill Robinson. Bill most recently served as Vice President of the VCCCDRA Executive Board. His obituary was published in Sunday’s (03/24/2019) Ventura County Star. Those wishing to leave a memory or condolence for the family, may do so by using the following link.
To read Bill’s obituary, click on the obituary image below.
March 18, 2019.
In this week’s blog:
Bill Shilley’s Birthday
February 24th was the date that over 100 guests celebrated Bill Shilley’s 90th birthday at The Tower Club in Oxnard. Bill Shilley, retired from Oxnard College in 2007 as the founding professor of the Addictive Disorder Studies Program (ADS). The event’s emcee was Kristin Shilley, Bill’s daughter. Bill thanked his family and many friends in attendance. He expressed particular gratitude to Tanya Burke (one of three Oxnard College’s former and current CTE, or Voc Ed, deans in attendance). Bill thanked Tanya for her vision in bringing the ADS program to OC as an approved program, a program that has benefitted hundreds of students many of whom are now professionals in the field. Happy Birthday, Bill!
Also in attendance was David Frain, who was an exchange instructor from Brighton, England, who taught at OC in the mid 1990s. David had the distinction of traveling the farthest to the birthday celebration.
Tanya Burke and the Ojai Valley Artists Gallery
In beautiful Ojai, on Ojai Avenue, is the Ojai Valley Artists Gallery (OVA). 
OVA Arts is a unique gallery of contemporary art and crafts. Owned by 7 local artists, one of whom is our own Tanya Burke (retired dean of vocational education, Oxnard College), the gallery displays work by 40 Ventura and Santa Barbara County artists and offers classes and special events. OVA’s mission is to contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy of our community by creating a profitable gallery and teaching studio for emerging and established local artists to exhibit their work. In addition to being one of the owners, Tanya also works at the gallery where samples of her beautiful knitting are on display. The OVA Gallery is located at 238 E. Ojai Avenue, Ojai and is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.
VCCCDRA Annual General Meeting
The General Meeting will be on March 20, 2019 from 2pm to 4 pm, in the Board Room of the VCCCD District Administrative Center, located at 761 East Daily Drive., Camarillo. Download the Agenda for March 20 2019 meeting.
If you have a hobby or passion or an upcoming significant event that you would like us to feature in the Blog, please email your info to Carmen Guerrero, cguerr49@gmail.com.
To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.
Ventura County Community College District
Benefits of Tier II Retirees
January 31, 2019
FACULTY (hired 7/1/1990- 6/30/2001)
Shall receive District provided coverage to the age of 65, at which time the retirees’ medical care plan shall be replaced by Medicare and a Medicare supplemental plan, which provides comparable benefits, and which is provided and paid for by the District. Dental and vision coverage will continue to be provided (as for active faculty).
(To date the District has not selected or provided a Medicare supplemental plan and continues to provide Tier II retirees with the same Anthem Blue Cross PPO plan or Kaiser plan provided active faculty. When Tier II retirees provide the District evidence they have paid their Medicare Part B premium, they are reimbursed that cost by the District.)
ASCC (Administrators, Supervisors, Confidential and Classified) (hired 7/24/1990 – 6/30/2000)
Shall receive District provided coverage to age 65, including medical, dental and vision. At age 65. the District coverage shall be replaced by Medicare paid for by the retiree, and the District shall provide a Medicare supplemental plan. (Comparing “Medicare supplemental plan” here to 4/22/1998 – 4/21/2001 SEIU contract language, it appears the above supplemental language means “Medicare supplemental plan” as stated in the AFT contract language)
SEIU contract language for Tier II retirees (now apparently covering all ASCC) is silent on dental and vision care after age 65, which could be taken as the District not intending to provide it. However, the District — to date — has continued to provide dental and vision coverage to ASCC retirees after age 65.
Like with faculty, since the District has not yet selected or provided a Medicare supplemental plan, it continues to provide ASCC Tier II retirees with the Anthem Blue Cross PPO plan or Kaiser plan provided active employees.
All retirees can choose between the Anthem plan and the District Kaiser plan.
All retirees must meet age and years of service requirements to be eligible for District paid retiree health benefits.
Prepared by Gary Johnson, VCCCDRA Benefits Committee Chair
To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.
As we enter the last month of the first quarter of 2019, we have a few changes coming, the end of winter, the beginning of spring and with that because of all the rain, perhaps another Super Bloom event in California, and the beginning of MLB (Major League Baseball). I love wild flowers and it is predicted that this year’s Super Bloom may rival the one we had a couple of years ago. I love baseball, especially Dodgers’ baseball, I definitely am looking forward to the new season. And, one more change, me, adding to a change to the VCCCDRA Blog.
So, … who is “me”, or who am I, to be grammatically correct? Rene Rodriguez invited me, Carmen Guerrero, to a volunteer position as your new Blogmaster (well the ‘master’ part is open for debate, LOL).
As a way of introduction for those of you who do not know me, I retired from Oxnard College in 2015 as Dean of Career and Technical Education. I began my career in VCCCD as a student worker at Moorpark College working for Cheri Ziegler in the Technology Division. Thru the years I worked through many levels, as a classified employee, secretary for Bill Lawson, Voc Ed Dean at Moorpark; a non-tenure track full-time faculty working at the Fillmore-Piru Vocational Center, reporting to Carlos Ramirez, that transitioned into a part-time teaching position in the Bilingual Vocational Education Program at Ventura College where I reported to Rene Rodriguez; then a full-time tenure track faculty position at Oxnard College reporting to Tanya Burke. After a few years as a tenured professor in Business, I accepted the dean position; then finally, retirement. Because some of these faculty positions were part-time, I also worked in the aerospace industry until I was hired at Oxnard College. Altogether, this was a 47-year journey, yet it seems like only yesterday that in 1968 Moorpark College was still, sort of, brand new and I registered as a student in its second year of existence. Time does fly!
As retirees, this blog belongs to us. I would love to know what items of interest you would like to see included in the blog, such as happenings (events, performances, etc.) around the college district as well as happenings around the county. What about items regarding retirees themselves, such as significant birthday and other celebrations; hobbies, etc.?
I hope to hear your thoughts.
To visit the VCCCDRA website click here.