Originally published in The California Aggie

The behemoth lecture hall 1100 Social Sciences filled up fast, students piling through the doors. A few latecomers rushed in and took seats on the floor as a white-haired professor with a proper English accent pointed out a student in the crowd.

“Have you ever been to Lake Berryessa?” he asked. “Ever go fishing? Did you drink beer? Did you pee? Where? In Lake Berryessa?”

Yes, the student answered to each question.

“That went straight to Budweiser, my friend,” the professor said, as the room erupted in laughter. “Did you do anything else there? Oh, never mind.”

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Originally published in The California Aggie

Upon walking into the nearly-empty ASUCD Coffee House at 8:15 a.m., it takes approximately 30 seconds for John Ortiz-Hutson to begin waving friendly “hellos” to colleagues and friends.

“I don’t know if ‘famous’ is the right word,” Ortiz-Hutson said, at the suggestion that he appears to be a celebrity of sorts on campus. A young woman has just smiled and greeted him, the third in a span of 45 minutes. “I’ve just been around, and I’m visible.”

For the past 23 years, Ortiz-Hutson has indeed been a fixture on the UC Davis campus, first as a senior learning skills officer at the Student Academic Success Center and then as the student affairs officer of the African American and African studies program. He will officially retire this week, culminating in a career that has allowed him to mentor and advise hundreds of students, as well as collaborate with dozens of campus departments.

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Originally published in The California Aggie

Television news anchor and reporter Brad Hicks has UC Davis to thank for his first on-camera job.

Hicks had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography from UC Davis in 1986 and ‘88, respectively, and was coming off a stint at Texas A&M University as a Ph.D. student when he applied for a job at WGAL-TV in Pennsylvania anchoring the local farm report.

A native of Palo Alto, Calif., Hicks had little knowledge of agriculture. But, no matter.

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