Oscar winners to keynote Alumni Day
Sept. 9, 2010 -- Oscar winning filmmakers and alumni Gloria Borders (BA '78), Christopher Boyes (B.A. '85) and Steven Okazaki (B.A. '76) will keynote the second annual Alumni Day on Oct. 2. The all-day event offers alumni an opportunity to rediscover the campus while connecting with faculty and fellow alumni.
From left: KPIX TV News Anchor Ken Bastida interviewed fellow SF State Alum Glen Charles, a creator of the legendary sitcom "Cheers," at last year's Alumni Day luncheon.
Alum and KCBS radio anchor Stan Bunger (B.A. '77) will moderate a noon luncheon panel at which Borders will discuss her work as a Skywalker Sound executive and Oscar-winning sound engineer on "Forrest Gump" and "Terminator 2." Boyes, a four-time Oscar-winning sound engineer will discuss his work on "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Okazaki, who won the Oscar for his short-subject documentary "Days of Waiting," will present the documentarian perspective on filmmaking.
"These filmmakers are examples of the thousands of professionals whose exceptional careers began in SF State classrooms," said alum and Director of Alumni Relations Doug Hupke. "They remind us that SF State is an alma mater to be proud of."
Throughout the day, distinguished current and emeriti faculty will present their scholastic work. Associate Professor of Biology Gretchen LeBuhn will lead a morning session about the Great Sunflower Project, a citizen science project that seeks to determine the health and productivity of bees across the U.S. Professor Emeritus of English Eric Solomon will share his expertise in Jewish-American baseball writing and the role the great American pastime played in assimilation of Jews in America.
An afternoon session will feature a panel of political science and communications professors, moderated by College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Dean Joel Kassiola, that will offer a variety of perspectives on the California gubernatorial race. The other afternoon session will focus on the role of race, ethnicity and genetics in medicine and research. Alum Esteban Burchard M.D., of San Francisco General Hospital and associate professor of biopharmaceutical sciences and medicine at University of California, San Francisco, will lead the discussion.
Hupke urges anyone planning to attend to register early. Last year's event, which featured the creators of the TV hits "Cheers" and "Frasier," was sold out. The cost is $25 for Alumni Association members, $30 for anyone else registering by Sept. 10 and $40 thereafter. Registration closes on Sept. 24. For a full list of Alumni Day events and to register, visit the Alumni Day page on the SF State Alumni Association website.
STORY UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2010): Gloria Borders will be replaced by Alumna Victoria Livingstone, a visual effects artist in digital animation. Her filmography includes: the Academy Award-winning "Happy Feet," "Star Wars-Attack of the Clones," "The Lost World" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
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