Memorial Gathering for Robert Holmes

Dr. Robert Holmes, a founding member of the Sonoma State Chemistry Department and former department chair, passed away July 15 at the age of 69. A memorial gathering is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. at the home of Marilyn Holmes, Holmes' former wife, located at 685 Clover Drive in Santa Rosa. Members of the campus community are invited to attend the memorial. The service will be open and informal, and those who wish to share stories about Dr. Holmes are encouraged to speak. Photos of Robert Holmes are being collected for display at the memorial. The family welcomes guests bringing along their personal snapshots of him. An RSVP is appreciated by contacting Mark Holmes at (415) 215-8116.

Holmes had been teaching chemistry at West Hills College in Lemoore, California since 1989. He was hired at SSU in 1965, and along with Gene Schaumberg initiated the development of the chemistry department. He had great inspirations; such as having the panels of the back wall of Darwin 309 painted in different colors and was even then planning for the expansion of Darwin Hall. He left SSU in 1981. Before his death, he was influential in the planning of the science building at West Hills College. He also designed the science laboratories into multidiscipline-use facilities and received national recognition for them.

Ronald O. Logsdon III Professional Development

Fund Grant Requests for Proposals

Ron Logsdon, graduate and long-time staff member of the university, and former President of the Alumni Association, was a truly unique and giving individual who made SSU his main focus for much of his life. His commitment to SSU, its staff and students lives on through the Ronald O. Logsdon III Professional Development Fund Grant. He established this fund to provide professional development leaves-with-pay or awards for permanent or probationary Student Services Professionals (Steps I-IV) working at SSU. Applications are now available and proposals are due in the Scholarship Office, Salazar 1010, by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Announcement of the winner(s) will be made public on Friday, Jan. 20, 2005. Last years recipient was Ty Miller. Address any questions or concerns regarding this grant to Laurie Ogg in the Scholarship Office, Salazar 1010, 4-2261.

Graduate School Fair on Oct. 26

Career Services and Graduate Studies hosts the annual Graduate School Fair from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26 outside Salazar Hall. Last year, more than 50 graduate schools were represented.  This is an excellent opportunity for students to meet representatives and gather information about graduate programs. In addition, Kaplan presents a workshop on “Applying to Graduate School” from 2-3 p.m. in Schulz 1121, followed by Q&A from 3-3:30 p.m. This is an excellent workshop with strategies for preparing successful application materials and understanding the role of standardized tests in graduate admissions. Students who stop by the Kaplan table at the fair or attend the workshop can enter a raffle for a free test preparation class worth up to $1,000.