[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Inside Art In The Cards Jeanine Hill”][vc_single_image image=”376″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Inside Art With Leigton Hubbell”][vc_single_image image=”374″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In 2001 in the wake of the dotcom bust, Leighton Hubbell had the good fortune to be laid off from his job at a large branding agency. Within a short time, the award winning illustrative designer found himself setting up shop at home.

“We were two weeks into buying our house in Orange, and my daughter was barely 9-months-old,” says Hubbell, who at the time had worked in design since 1993 for a wide variety of companies, including international corporations representing brands such as Pepsi Cola and Motorola. “Then out of the blue, a former client called my home office to say she was working on a new venture and wanted me to meet the owner about doing some design work.”

Hubbell landed the job, which proved lucrative enough for him to outfit his home office. “One moment I was dead in the water without a computer, and the next I was depositing a substantial check and buying equipment,” he says. “Things got rolling from there, and I haven’t looked back.”

As creative director of his one-person design shop based just outside Old Towne, Hubbell does everything from creating logos, corporate identity systems, promotions and packaging design to branding, illustration, print, web design and television work. He is probably the most well-known for his logos and icons, an area of his design work that developed over the years in response to market demand.

The Making of a Logo

“Back when I worked for advertising agencies, I ran across horrid logos, and I couldn’t always do anything about it, because they weren’t my clients,” he says. “Now, considering that a logo is a visual calling card for a company, I feel it’s my obligation, when necessary, to lead my own clients to a whole new look. Today, logo design, which is a specialized, unique skill, is a big part of my business, and it’s experiencing a renaissance thanks to the use of logos and icons in technology such as mobile phone devices.”

Creating a logo is an organic process for Hubbell. “I don’t just make a logo,” he says. “I do a lot of thinking, planning and research, including examining the trends and what competitors are doing and talking to the clients in order to understand what they want. Each logo is completely customized and done in a style that best fits the client.”

Untappd Badge Icons

Icons, which are symbols used for purposes such as making statements or identifying or announcing products, are also a mainstay for Hubbell nowadays, especially with the advent of social networks. The icons pictured on page 2 of the Plaza Review were commissioned by Untappd, a social network similar to Foursquare that allows users to share and explore the world of beer with friends and people all over the globe.

After creating an account and profile at untappd.com, users check in with information such as where they are drinking beer, what they like about certain beers, when they try out a new beer, attend a beer festival or celebrate a special occasion with beer. When they complete various activities through the network, users earn badges, which feature the icons. Hubbell came up with the design concept for the icons and created many of them. (They are now being created in-house.)

Born to Illustrate

Coming from a family of artists, including a paternal great grandfather who was a painter and a maternal great grandfather who was a label illustrator for a fruit packing company, Hubbell showed an interest in art from a young age.

“I was always drawing and experimenting with art mediums,” says Hubbell, who took art classes throughout his childhood. “When I was in first grade, my mother gave me modeling clay. I responded by duplicating some of her ceramic work, which amazed her. By the time I was in junior high school, I knew that I wanted to go into design or commercial art.”

Hubbell attended art school out of high school studying graphics, advertising and typography. He studied at The Art Institute of Colorado from 1987 to 1989 and then the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in 1993.

Professional photographer Will Hare, who is based in Old Towne and took the photo of Hubbell that appears in this issue, first met the designer at Art Center, where he attended as a photography student.

“Leighton and I did a project together, and we hit it off right away,” says Hare. After graduation, the two lost track of each other until 1997 when they found that they both lived in the Old Towne area and soon became good friends. Hare’s history with Hubbell gives him a bird’s eye view of the artist’s career.

“Leighton has always put pencil to paper, and it is his ability to draw that lends itself nicely to his work, especially logo design,” says Hare. “He’s a genuine person with a sense of humor and sensibility, and as he’s matured over the years as a person and an artist and become comfortable with himself, he’s found his voice, and that voice comes through in his work.”

For more information about Leighton Hubbell and his work, visit LeightonHubbell.com.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Jon Haverstick”][vc_single_image image=”372″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]View the photographic work of Jon C. Haverstick and one prevailing theme overrides—humanity. With his camera, Haverstick strives to communicate as much as possible about his photo subjects.

“The human interest element is critical for me,” says Haverstick, an award winning professional photographer and photography instructor based in Santa Ana. “While there’s certainly a lot of interesting photography without a human element, my interest is in portraits. For me, it’s about telling people’s stories.”

Faces of Freedom

It is this desire to open a window to the soul of those he photographs and his respect for the U.S. Armed Forces that led the photographer to undertake his “Faces of Freedom” project pictured in this issue. Consisting of portraits of veterans, the project that he started in August 2011 has about 50 photos and counting of men and women who have served the country in various wars, such as Vietnam and World War II.

“Many veterans don’t have good portraits of themselves that depict their service to the country,” says Haverstick, who gives participants complimentary portraits. “This project provides a way to honor veterans and serves as a reminder of those who have given up so much so that we have what we do.” Haverstick has several relatives who have served, including his father, father-in-law, nephew and son, who is currently in the Army.

One participant of the Faces of Freedom project is Pastor Frank Orzio, a retired Marine Sergeant and two-time Purple Heart recipient, who is founder of The Wounded Warrior Ministry (http://thewoundedwarriorministry.com). “Jon is a great guy who goes out of his way to honor veterans and preserve their legacy,” says Orzio. “He doesn’t do any of this for personal gain. As we say in the Marine Corp, he has uncommon valor.”

Healthcare and Photography

Haverstick attributes his sensitivity to people and affinity for capturing them on camera to growing up in the 1970s with a disabled foster sister and being surrounded by a family involved in community service and healthcare. Haverstick himself spent more than 20 years in the medical field as a genetic counselor and in healthcare education prior to opening his photography company in 2011.

Though healthcare seems light years away from photography, the skills he learned help him take the candid shots he does today. “In healthcare, I learned how to talk to people in a vulnerable state and be sensitive to their concerns and emotions,” he says. “Those people I photograph also often feel exposed and nervous.”

Photography student Heather Rollins considers Haverstick her mentor and comments on his ability to put photographic subjects at ease and share their personalities through their portraits.

“Jon has a way of catching the character in people, which isn’t always easy to do,” says Rollins. “He has a gift for building rapport with his clients and making them feel comfortable.”

Drawn to Photography

Though he didn’t open his photography business until later in life, Haverstick was drawn to the art form from a young age. During high school, he shot photos for his school newspaper and yearbook and worked as a second shooter for a wedding photographer. At the time, he bought his first professional camera, a Nikon F2AS Photomic, which he used until he went digital in 2005. As an adult, he took many photos of family and friends and began teaching photography classes in 1999 at schools such as Santiago Canyon College, where he still teaches.

“Teaching is a great outlet for me,” says Haverstick, who developed his own digital photography classes. “I’m passionate about passing on knowledge.”

A desire to become a better photographer inspired Haverstick to leave his healthcare job nearly three years ago and open his photography business. With encouragement from his wife, Chiaki, and children, Cat and Conner, Haverstick quickly became successful. He does a wide variety of photographic jobs, including weddings, senior portraits, commercial and corporate work and fine art photography.

With all of his work, Haverstick makes sure to interject the human element.

“I shoot for Mercedes Benz and try to get a person in the photo whenever possible,” he says. “And when I do corporate work, instead of standard headshots, I like to show personality by photographing people interacting with their workspace.”

To view the Faces of Freedom project, go to http://jonhaverstickstudio.com/faces-of-freedom-project/nggallery/page/1/.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Inside Art With Jim Draughon”][vc_single_image image=”370″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]During a 20-year period when Jim Draughon collected numerous pieces of art for his extensive art collection, a question loomed at the back of his mind.

“Every time I bought an artist’s work, I thought about how much I enjoyed painting as an undergraduate art major,” says the Orange resident. “I’d look at my new acquisition and think, I can do this,” recalls Draughon, who built a successful career in land development during his hiatus from art in the 1980s and 1990s.

Finally, in 1998, Draughon heeded his inner voice and returned to art.

“When I jumped into painting again, I started with watercolors and then transitioned into painting in oil,” says the artist, who chose to take up painting en plein air, which is a French term that means “in open air.” The popular contemporary California art movement involves painting outdoor scenes on the spot to capitalize on natural light and capture scenes in a true sense.

En Plein Air Painting

Draughon’s subject matter, which is primarily the California landscape, lends itself well to the en plein air painting method. “I love painting the California landscape, because the wide variety of scenes to paint are incredible,” says Draughon, who focuses his efforts on the state’s deserts and coast.

“The desert has a wonderful muted light that becomes intense in early morning and late afternoon, at which times the colors become rich and varied,” he says. “I also enjoy capturing the various rock forms and vegetation in the desert, and the coast with the water, waves and shoreline offers dramatic subjects.”

Boulder Hopping in the Desert

The painting pictured in this issue known as “Boulder Hopping” is a 9×12 oil on canvas painted in 2011 in Andreas Canyon, which is located in the Coachella Valley. Draughon and his wife, Vivian, own a vacation home in Palm Canyon outside of Palm Springs, and many of Draughon’s paintings depict this region.

“Andreas Canyon contains great geological forms, and there is a creek running through the area year-round,” he says. “I was with a painter friend when we found that particular scene, which had a nice composition with the mountain backdrop and the boulders in the water.”

Draughon feels “Boulder Hopping” is successful because it has rich colors in details such as dead fronds on a palm tree. “The burly, rough leaves on the palm are actually very colorful and create a more authentic representation of the tree,” he says.

Capturing Untouched Landscapes

Christine Thompson is co-owner of Copperwood Artware in Old Towne, where Draughon has shown his work since the gallery opened in 2004.

“Jim’s work consists of location paintings in truly untouched areas of the state that people familiar with the areas recognize,” she says. “You won’t see any human touches like telephone poles in his paintings. Oil painting is challenging in its own right, and especially en plein air. Some artists have a tendency to overdo oils by becoming heavy handed, but Jim doesn’t do that. His colors are authentic and strike a perfect balance.”

Born to Paint

Draughon was born in Texas but raised in Denver. As a child, he spent most of his time drawing and painting and even had his first gallery show right out of high school. Soon after that experience, he joined the Navy and spent some time stationed in various locales, including Japan.

When he left the service at 22 in 1973, Draughon earned an AA in fine art from El Camino College and a BFA from California State University, Fullerton in 1976. He wanted to pursue a career in art, but opted for a steadier paycheck, going back to graduate school for a degree in Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, which led to working in land development.

Today, Draughon works as a real estate development advisor and is able to devote time to his art.

“I started painting 15 years ago after a long hiatus, because I’ve always enjoyed the process and the end product,” he says. “I don’t think I would want to rely on art as a main source of income, because that would make it feel like a job, but it’s been great to accumulate paintings and exciting that people purchase them.”

Visit Draughon’s website at jadraughonart.com. Meet the artist and see his work at the October 5th opening of the “Art by the Foot” show at Copperwood Artware located at 148A North Glassell in the Plaza.www.copperwoodartware.com, or call 714-633-8374 for information.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Painter Within Kim VanDerHoek”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Building Character Dr. Vernon Smith & Dr. Stephen Rassenti”][vc_single_image image=”328″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Dr. Vernon Smith & Dr. Stephen Rassenti

One of Vernon Smith’s earliest memories involves fixing a broken clock. “I was under the age of six at the time, and I vividly remember the thrill of taking apart the clock, putting it back together and seeing it work again,” says the Nobel laureate. “Although today I realize physics was at play, at the time it was pure magic to find that actions create reactions.”

Today, Smith, who has joint appointments with the Argyros School of Business & Economics and the School of Law, is still driven by a deep desire to find out why and how things work. It was this curiosity about the effect of social connections on economics that led to his 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and in 2008 to his founding Chapman’s Economic Science Institute (ESI).

Smith’s pioneering work examined for the first time how human behavior affects economies, which launched economics from a static science to an experimental social science. The research is somewhat complicated for the average person, but the bottom line is clearly grasped–human motives and actions dictate economic outcomes.

The genesis of Smith’s theory started in the fall of 1948 during his last year studying electrical engineering at Cal Tech. At the time, he became interested in economics and human behavior and less enamored with the study of mechanical objects. “When I graduated in the spring of 1949, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to stay in engineering, so I made the decision to go back to Kansas University and get a Master’s degree in Economics,” says Smith. After that he attended Harvard and upon graduation accepted an appointment at Purdue in Economics, where he began teaching.

“I realized that I didn’t really know anything about the relationship between economic theory–even elementary supply and demand–and what people actually do in the markets,” he recalls. “I became intrigued and did some investigating and found that it wasn’t just a failure in my understanding, but there had been no research on the topic.” Over the years since that initial discovery, his work has covered a broad range of economic subjects, including asset markets in the 1980s, and not surprisingly, the current economic crisis, which has spurred a host of studies.

“The fact is that the stock market .com crash didn’t bring down the economy,” he says. “Investment brokers and the Securities and Exchange Commission prevented that a long time ago. You can’t buy stock with other people’s money, because you are subject to strict margin requirements, but in the run–up to the crisis you were able to buy homes with other people’s money, and that’s where the problems start.”

While Smith is in demand as a speaker and does travel extensively, his first allegiance is to his work in the lab and sharing his knowledge with students. “I think it’s important to continue to discover new things, because if you don’tbalance educating yourself with speaking, you’ll soon find that you’re talking about things that are no longer relevant and immediate,” he says.

Dr. Stephen Rassenti

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Chapman’s head of the Economic Science Institute (ESI), Stephen Rassenti, worked as a carpenter in his native Canada. Fortunately for the world of Economic Science, after six years wielding a hammer he changed his focus and attended the University of Arizona where he met Vernon Smith.

“I was studying for a PhD in systems engineering and had a minor in economics,” says Rassenti. “I took a class in economics with Vernon, and that really piqued my interest in the topic. In 1984, after two years working with Bell Laboratories, Vernon offered me a position as a research scientist in the economics lab, and we’ve been working together ever since.”

After Arizona, Smith and Rassenti moved the economics lab to George Mason University in Virginia and then to Chapman. “Our move to Chapman was especially exciting because the University has been very accommodating, and the school’s vision dovetails with ours,” he says.

For Rassenti, an exciting part of his work in Economic Science has been the human element. “Engineers presume that when they ask people something they will get perfect information that will enable them to execute plans based on the answers they receive, but the problem is people don’t always tell you the truth, which is where the behavioral element comes in.”

Rassenti is especially pleased that the work he does has a positive influence. “The experiments we do in ESI have a dramatic financial impact in the real world,” he says. “We have the tools in the laboratory to test items such as healthcare or energy policies in order to see whether viable options are being proposed, which can potentially save the country billions of dollars, and that’s very gratifying.”

Wilkinson Hall

Built in 1904, Wilkinson Hall is the oldest structure on the Chapman University campus. This two–story, 26,510–square foot building, which is listed in the National Registry for Historical Buildings, was originally built to house Orange Union High School’s turn–of–the–century students. The impressive neo–classical structure was the high school’s only building for several years until enrollment increased substantially and new buildings were added, culminating with the construction of Memorial Hall in 1921, which was situated directly behind Wilkinson. The following year, Wilkinson was moved 300 feet northeast to its current location–a better vantage point in the center of campus with a less formal quad. Kress House Moving Company of Los Angeles relocated the building for $8,300.

Wilkinson Hall houses the Economic Science Institute (ESI), and the departments of English, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Economic Science Institute

When it comes to economics and how we spend our money, questions abound. Chapman University’s Economic Science Institute (ESI) is dedicated to seeking answers to these age–old queries. The mission of the institute, which is located on the first floor of Wilkinson Hall, is to study and understand human socioeconomic behavior. Founded in 2008 by Vernon Smith and his colleagues Stephen Rassenti, John Dickhaut, David Porter and Bart Wilson, the seeds for ESI were planted many years before. In 1956 while teaching an introductory economics class at Purdue, Smith conducted his first experiment which eventually led to his groundbreaking theory of Experimental Economics. That theory resulted in his receiving the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Vernon Smith and Stephen Rassenti, director of ESI, share their backgrounds and insight into the development of Chapman’s Experimental Economics laboratory.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Building Character Dr. Michael Fahy”][vc_single_image image=”326″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Dr. Michael Fahy

Back in 1982 when Michael Fahy had some time to himself one weekend, Chapman’s Associate Dean of the School of Computational Sciences had an eureka experience when he bought a computer graphics book at the local bookstore and experimented with the concepts on his home computer.

“I spent the whole weekend writing computer graphics code and watching the results display on the screen,” says Fahy, whose prior experience with computers occurred a decade earlier at UC Santa Barbara when he worked with Fortran, a programming language used for numeric computation and scientific computing that like other programs used punch cards at the time to record data—a process Fahy found uninteresting.

Early Personal Computers

“After the Fortran experience, I didn’t look at computer science for more than a decade until personal computers hit the scene,” says Fahy. “That particular weekend with the computer graphics book, I was so engaged by the process that I didn’t get much sleep. I was completing tasks on the computer that I had previously done with pencil and paper with mathematics, and I really enjoyed being able to see things clearly and accurately as opposed to my hand drawn sketches.”

At the time, Fahy lived in New York City, where he was born and raised. That weekend experience interested him so much that he started a computer software company with his wife, Melodee, which they ran for 15 years in New York and continued with when the couple moved to California in 1989 so Fahy could join Chapman’s faculty.

“We built client networks, connected computers and wrote software to make the networks run. In the beginning, we uploaded software to client sites using modems,” says Fahy, also a professor of mathematics and computer science at Chapman, who has a PhD in mathematics from UC Santa Barbara.

Brandman University’s Network

Fahy’s experience owning a computer company and his mathematics skills prepared him for the various roles he’s played at Chapman over the years. For 10 years from 1996-2006 he served as the university’s Chief Technology Officer, which included developing Brandman University’s area-wide computer network. “Back in the mid-90s, we were discovering the possibilities of what could be done with networking technology, and it was an exciting time,” he says.

“Michael played a huge role in expanding what is now Brandman University” (the university is a separate institution within the Chapman system), says Michael Mahoney, PhD, executive vice president/provost for Trident University International. “Back in the 90s when the general public was just starting to use the internet, he was the person behind connecting all of those external Chapman sites under the Brandman umbrella, which was really impressive, because there was no blueprint for doing so.”

Big Data and Computational Science

When he finished the Brandman network, Fahy moved on to his current project developing Chapman’s new School of Computational Sciences, which has allowed him to combine his interest in math and computer science.

“Computational science has its roots in math and computer science and is used to tackle big data problems in order to answer some of the world’s most complex questions in a wide variety of fields, including science, biology, academics, climate and economics,” says Fahy. “For instance, computational science has been used for purposes such as examining cancer treatments.”

Fahy began developing Chapman’s School of Computational Sciences within the Schmid College of Science & Technology in 2009, using as a guide the first computational science program developed in the country at George Mason University in Virginia, which started its program in the 1990s. Chapman now has a M.S. and PhD. In Computational Science, and Fahy has coordinated partnerships with area businesses so that students can learn from real world experiences.

“Considering that personal credit scores are based on massive amounts of data extracted from people’s purchasing history, we created a partnership with Experian,” says Fahy. “A faculty member spent a period of time at Experian last summer observing in order to gain real world knowledge to develop the curriculum.”

Idea Incubator

The computational sciences department is located in Von Neumann Hall, and the hub of activity is a large warehouse-style room with white boards spanning the walls, as well as a ping pong and pool table and a piano. It is here that students and faculty gather to brainstorm and where the department hosts various events. “The formulas on the white board are serious work, not doodles,” says Fahy. “The space is ideal for creating and collaborating, often among various disciplines, which is the key to discovery.”

Von Neumann Hall is also where they regularly hold fun events for “geeks,” such as the AnyMeeting WebRTC Hackathon held this past January in conjunction with the leading provider of web conferencing, Anymeeting.com. April 4th – 6th the department will host the 44th Interface Symposium on the Interface of Computing Science and Statistics.
http://www.chapman.edu/events/interface-2013/index.aspx

Though Fahy is obviously in his element when it comes to “geeky,” longtime friend Michael Lehman points out that he is surprisingly well-rounded. “Michael is not a nerd,” says Lehman. “People may be surprised to find that he is a talented musician who has played bass in bands, and he rides a motorcycle to work.”

Von Neumann Hall

Named after famed mathematician John von Neumann, who contributed to the fields of computer science, economics, mathematics and physics, Chapman University’s Von Neumann Hall at 545 West Palm is a 1923 industrial-style building in Old Towne. The 6,000 square-foot facility, which was renovated in 2009, is used to house the math department and School of Computational Sciences. Also known as the Western Cordage building, the structure was used for decades to produce rope and cable.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Building Character Dr. James Doti”][vc_single_image image=”324″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Dr. James Doti

Listen to James Doti speak and you’ll be surprised to find that he once struggled with a serious speech impediment. “It wasn’t until I was 7 or 8 years old that I began communicating clearly enough to be understood by others,” says Chapman University’s president, noting that he was somewhat ostracized by other students. Rather than fade into the background, however, he chose to meet the challenge head–on, auditioning for and getting a part in his first grade school play.

“That early experience taught me that weaknesses are actually challenges that make us stronger. I worked harder than anyone else on the lines, and even though I couldn’t speak clearly, I compensated in other ways,” says Doti, an economist who has served as Chapman’s president since 1991. It is such unwavering determination that has enabled Doti to lead a once–struggling university to its current status as the number two school in selectivity out of 127 colleges, according to the U.S. News and World Report ranking. Quite an accomplishment considering the university placed 92nd out of 126 when he took the helm 19 years ago. Today Chapman boasts a selective student body, renowned and gifted faculty and nationally recognized programs such as the Dodge College of Film & Media Arts.

An accomplished marathon runner and mountain climber, Doti attributes his achievements at the University to the same perseverance he applies to sporting challenges. “Nothing is easy, but if you work hard and stay focused, you will succeed,” he says. “Instead of thinking of the peak of a mountain, for instance, which can be daunting, I focus on getting over the first chasm, and it has been the same way with Chapman. Slow and steady progress from one small goal to the next is the way to achieve.”

Doti credits his dedication to constantly improving himself to his father and mother. “My parents were immigrants from Italy who met in Chicago as teenagers,” he says. “My father was a shoe salesman most of his life and my mother was a milliner (hat maker). They both worked very hard and though neither of them graduated from high school, they passionately believed that their four children would have an education. Hardly a day went by that they didn’t reinforce our responsibility to go to college and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities this country has to offer.”

Though Doti’s family had no luxuries, there was always a good meal and a healthy serving of positive values. “My father was a gardener and had an obsession with growing a fig tree in Chicago,” wrote Doti in an article that appeared in The Orange County Register. “If you believed my dad, his Italian homeland was a place where you could romp about in a pastoral wonderland picking figs and eating them to your heart’s delight. He sought to recreate that bucolic vision in our backyard. The problem, though, was no one could convince my dad that a fig tree doesn’t grow in Chicago.” Each fall, Doti’s father would plant a fig sapling he got from relatives in Italy and tried many ways to protect it over winter, but it would be dead each spring. “Sadly, my dad was never able to successfully demonstrate that a fig tree can grow in Chicago. But he did demonstrate to me something far more important: Never give up on your vision, especially when you believe in it with passion and conviction.”

Those who saw Doti struggle to get his lines out in that first grade play would be surprised to see him now when he hosts his 4–year PBS–TV show “Dialogue with Doti and Dodge.” He and Kristina Dodge interview a wide variety of celebrities and notable guests. This year he is adding to his repertoire with two more shows, “Chapman Prime Time” and a healthy cooking show focusing on ethnic foods.

Memorial Hall

If the first time you visit Chapman’s Memorial Hall it seems familiar, chances are you’ve seen the historical building on film. The structure’s understated classical architecture has made it an attractive backdrop for scenes in popular movies such as Crimson Tide, Rocky and Bullwinkle and That Thing You Do.

Once an integral part of Orange Union High School, Memorial Hall, which was built in 1921 and is listed on the National Registry for Historical Buildings, consists of three floors and is 35,195 square feet. Considered a capstone campus structure, the building houses a variety of administrative offices, including the offices of the President and Executive Vice President, University Relations, Financial Services and the busy 999–seat Chapman Auditorium.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Building Character Dr. Hesham El-Askary”][vc_single_image image=”321″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Dr. Hesham El-Askary

While other children gazed upon mobiles over their cribs and children’s artwork taped to the refrigerator, as the child of scientists, the first picture that Hesham El-Askary saw was the periodic table.

“Science was the common language spoken in my home,” says Chapman University’s Associate Professor of Remote Sensing and Earth Systems Sciences in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and a member of the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling & Observations. “My mother is a chemist and my father was a professor of sedimentology. He would discuss his work, such as the geology of Egypt and the lowlands affected by the salty water of the Mediterranean, where I grew up.”

Perhaps it was early exposure to the periodic table and its interconnectivity that led El-Askary to his work as an earth systems scientist, who studies and teaches the delicate balance between the earth’s various spheres, including the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere.

Earth’s Tenuous Balance

“While much of the research in earth systems and climate change focuses on global warming trends, I am interested in how the interaction between the earth’s spheres leads to extreme climatic events,” says El-Askary, who also holds an appointment at Chapman’s School of Computational Sciences at Schmid College of Science and Technology. “There is a fragile balance between the spheres that is going unnoticed. This is because the fluxes within the system are global (changes in one region may well be caused by changes in a distant region). Over the last few years, we’ve seen the ever increasing magnitude of extreme events like hurricanes, tsunamis, flooding and wildfires resulting from how those spheres are communicating with one another.”

Part of El-Askary’s work focuses on natural and anthropogenic (manmade) pollution and its influence on the environment. “One major theme of my research is studying the impact and mixing of the multisource aerosols injected into the atmosphere by dust storms, manmade products, local emissions and biomass burning,” he says. “Other areas include how the changing climate contributes to the coral reefs bleaching in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf regions and to the rising sea level over the highly populated Delta of the River Nile.”

He is particularly interested in the concept of “glocal” impact—how what’s happening globally in terms of climate affects us locally. For instance, sandstorms originating in Asia impact agriculture, air quality and water resources in North America. El-Askary collaborates with environmental experts across the globe on the practice of remote sensing, which refers to the science of obtaining information, including about climate, from an aircraft or satellite. He has coauthored several scientific papers on the subject, such as “A Multi-Sensor Approach to Dust Storm Monitoring over the Nile Delta,” which appeared October 2003 as a cover article in the prestigious IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. In 2006, this work was awarded the Saudi Arabia Prize for best published article in environmental management trend hosted by Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), affiliated with the League of Arab States.

Oil Refinery Cloud Leads to Environmental Research

Thanks to a chance comment, El-Askary became interested in the Earth’s delicate balance early on. “During a trip to our summer house on Egypt’s coast when I was a young boy, I saw smoke clouds emanating from oil refineries. I thought the clouds looked amazing, but a worker told me they were bad for our health. I came to understand how much harm those factories were doing to the environment.”

Chapman University’s Chancellor Daniele Struppa collaborated with El-Askary on a scientific paper that analyzed the impact of El Nino on precipitations in California’s different climate divisions. “Hesham’s work is scientifically solid and mathematically interesting, as well as immediate, clear and possessing direct applications,” he says. “For example, being able to observe the snow cover gives us early warnings for future droughts.”

El-Askary’s aptitude for collaboration is one of his strong suits, notes Ghassem Asrar, former Director of the World Climate Research Program, who is currently Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute. “Hesham is a very competent scientist in his own right, who recognizes that most environmental problems are complex and require teamwork,” says Asrar, also a former adjunct professor at Chapman. “He has an extensive international partnership network and devotes a lot of energy building bridges that demonstrate the benefits of science and technology to the rest of the world. He’s also a rare breed of scientist willing to work closely with the private sector to ensure that solutions we identify and develop benefit society.”

Journey to Earth Science and Chapman

El-Askary’s grew up attending an English school in Alexandria, Egypt, where he excelled in all subjects. In high school, he discovered a passion for science, so he attended the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Geophysics/Physics/Geology in 1997. After graduation, he held a teaching assistantship at the university for four years while continuing to study his graduate degree in geophysics. Following that he attended George Mason University in Virginia where he earned two Masters in Earth Systems and Computational Sciences, followed by a doctorate in Computational Science & Informatics, graduating with a 4.0. While at George Mason, he also worked on projects for the school’s Center of Earth Observing and Space Research. He was asked to join Chapman’s faculty in 2008 with a team of scientists led by Menas Kafatos, the founding dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology.

Sharing Knowledge

El-Askary has enjoyed his time at Chapman University helping develop the curriculum of a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. He has also led the development of curriculum for a Master’s degree in Computational Science with many tracks, among which is Earth Systems Science. He is especially proud of initiating and organizing the Chapman University Symposium Interface 2013 on Big Data and Analytics held April 2013.

“Hesham is a true embodiment of the notion of teacher-scholar that Chapman prides itself on,” says Struppa. “He is a great teacher and an incredibly active and successful scholar, who illustrates how it is not only possible but desirable to merge your teaching and research.”

He also understands the importance of educating future scientists, adds Asrar. “Hesham has a passion for education and knows how important it is to mentor the younger generation of scientists so we have a sufficient number of competent and well-trained individuals to take on the world’s complex scientific problems.”

El-Askary finds teaching and the long-range consequences of doing so especially fulfilling. “When I hear from students who graduated about the impact I’ve made on their educations, it really makes me happy to see how I helped shape their futures.” He also enjoys living in Orange County with his wife Essraa Nawar, Chapman’s Leatherby Libraries Development Coordinator, and their three children.

Chapman University
One University Drive, Orange CA 92866 / 714-997-6815

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Building Character Dr. Daniele Struppa”][vc_single_image image=”318″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Dr. Daniele Struppa

At the age of 10, while other boys played at the park, Daniele Struppa had another destination in mind when he thundered down the five flights of stairs in the apartment where he lived in Milano, Italy, raced across the street and yanked open the door to his home-away-from home, Il Libraccio. There in the bookstore where he had an unlimited line of credit, Struppa roamed the shelves, seeking out new volumes to devour and feed his fertile, young mind.

Born a bibliophile to well-educated lawyer parents who owned thousands of books, Chapman’s chancellor spent his youth discussing literature over breakfast, lunch and dinner. “My parents valued education, including books and classical music,” says Struppa, who began reading at the age of four. “I never had fancy clothes, but I did have an open account at the book and record stores, and that shaped who I am today.”

A noted scholar, administrator and internationally recognized mathematician, Struppa serves as Chapman University’s Chief Academic Officer. His responsibilities are vast, including coordinating curriculum, overseeing faculty hiring, tenure and promotion, as well as academic assessment and institutional research. Since arriving at Chapman in 2006 after serving as Dean of George Mason University’s College of Arts and Sciences, Struppa has drawn from his extensive, well-rounded background to accomplish a great deal at Chapman, including creating the College of Performing Arts, the Economic Science Institute, which put the school on the map in the area of behavioral economics, and the Schmid College of Science. He also teaches math, which is another love that formed in childhood.

“I have always been drawn to numbers, which thrilled my mother, because she found the subject very difficult,” says Struppa, who taught mathematics during the 1980s at the Universities of Milano and Calabria, as well as at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, before moving to the U.S. permanently in the early 1990s. “My mother was very religious and prayed I would be good with math when she was pregnant with me. When I showed an interest and got good grades in the subject, she pointed to her praying as the reason, although my father was also very good in math.”

Struppa’s fascination with math led him to not only teach the subject, but to author articles and books and lecture around the world on the topic.

Domenico Napoletani is a former student of Struppa’s, who is Research Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine at George Mason University. The two often collaborate on projects related to mathematical concepts in relation to issues such as cancer.

“What characterizes Daniele’s work is the refined taste and deep insight that he brings to his research choices,” says Napoletani. “This is most evident in his successful involvement in algebraic analysis, a theory that employs algebraic methods and ideas in the study of differential equations. At the same time, he is so attuned to the aesthetic value of mathematical ideas that he never forgets their wider historical and cultural context, which is rare among mathematicians. He is also able to recognize fruitful ideas in their most germinal form and fearlessly pursues them.”

It is Struppa’s diverse interests and talents that make him perfect as Chapman’s chancellor, says the school’s president James Doti. “While Daniele is one of the world’s great mathematicians, he also has knowledge and insights into music, the arts and literature and is a true renaissance man. Unlike many well-rounded individuals who are often dilettantes, Daniele has depth as well as breadth of knowledge. Because of this, he’s been incredibly successful in providing the kind of academic leadership that propelled Chapman to national stature. He realizes the key to being a truly great learning institution is recruiting and retaining the best faculty and students possible.”

Struppa recruited Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith to join Chapman’s faculty, and Smith comments on the administrator’s skills. “Based on my experience in over 50 years in public and private universities, I believe that really innovative university administrators like Daniele are rare,“ says Smith. ”A quote from Marie Curie, who was the first person to win two Nobel prizes, applies to Daniele: ’I never see what has been done. I only see what remains to be done.’ ”

In addition to his professional achievements, Struppa is an accomplished mountain climber, who has reached a number of challenging summits. It is his love of climbing that led to an instant friendship with Doti. “When Daniele walked into my office for his interview and recognized the mountaintops in my summit photos, I was amazed,” says Doti. “We’ve climbed almost all the same mountains. Talk about a kindred spirit! We share a lot of laughs and are both mathematically oriented. When I climbed Denali (Mt McKinley), he emailed me a number problem. The team and I couldn’t solve it. When I asked, he said it was unsolvable because he left out critical information. He did that to occupy our minds so we wouldn’t think about how cold and lonely we were.”

Although Struppa doesn’t climb much anymore so he can devote his free time to wife Lisa Sparks, a professor at Chapman, and their daughters Athena, 4 and Arianna, 7, it is mountain climbing’s camaraderie he finds the most rewarding. “When you’re roped together with fellow climbers, this gives you an incredible sense of teamwork,” he says. He experiences that same sense of teamwork at Chapman.

“We’re all working for a common purpose, which is something that I craved but didn’t experience until coming to Chapman,” he says. “In Italy, for example, though I love the country, they are very bureaucratic and resist change, which is why I decided to live and work in the U.S.”

Many would agree that Italy’s loss was America’s gain.

Doti-Struppa Rock Wall

Featuring a towering 51-foot textured surface, the popular Doti-Struppa Rock Wall in the Sandhu Center at Chapman University is the tallest University-owned rock wall in Southern California. The Wall, which was funded and founded by its namesakes, features two auto-belays, four belay stations and dozens of top rope and bouldering routes.

To assist the novice climber, experienced staff members are always on hand to teach the basics. All new participants are also required to take a clinic that covers rock wall safety and gear.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Building Character Doy Henley”][vc_single_image image=”315″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Doy Henley

Ask Doy Henley who influenced his success, and while the entrepreneur has a long list of people to thank, his first thoughts turn to his mother and how she taught him to read. Perched on her lap at the age of four, the young Henley sounded out his first words using comic strips.

“My mother taught me using the newspaper,” says Henley, who currently serves as Executive Vice Chairman of the Chapman University Board of Trustees. “Learning to read and comprehend what I was reading at such a young age has been important all of my life, giving me effective understanding and communication skills, and surprisingly, an edge in business thanks to my mother.”

From 1961 until the late 1990s, Henley owned and operated a number of manufacturing companies in Orange County, including Aeromil Engineering, which manufactured and sold products for the aerospace industry. When titanium became the material of choice, his company was among the first to utilize computer numerical control (CNC) to machine linear and lofted surfaces distinctive in aerospace products.

According to longtime friend Buck Johns, “If you talk to the big names in the aerospace world, they all know the name Doy Henley, because he was the first guy to do titanium curves. He’s a unique individual, who has accomplished a tremendous amount over the course of his life.”

In addition to aerospace manufacturing companies, Henley owned and operated businesses that manufactured consumer products, the most notable being Cox Hobbies. Cox produced radio controlled items such as planes and trains and other products for a worldwide market in the hobby and toy industry. Cox was one of the first companies involved in electronic data interchange between manufacturers and retail outlets using supply chain management with large retail companies such as Wal-Mart and others. Today, 20 years after selling his last manufacturing business, the companies Henley started are still in business.

The son of a factory working father and a mother who worked odd jobs to make ends meet, Henley comes from humble beginnings that compelled him to work hard and juggle many ventures. He grew up in Mt. Vernon, a small town in southern Illinois, during the lean 1930s and 1940s. During high school, Henley started working while receiving an education that included vocational training in metallurgy, welding and machine tool operations. After graduating, he relocated to Springfield, Ill., where he met and married his wife, Dee. While working two jobs in the early 1950s, he found a copy of the Los Angeles Times classified section that indicated there were many jobs in California. Deciding to see what the Golden State had to offer, Henley and his wife relocated to Los Angeles, moving to Orange County in the mid-1950s.

“In those days, the area was a wonderful place to live with lots of orange groves and very little traffic. Dee and I were amazed and delighted to live in such a beautiful place, and we’re still here,” says Henley, who raised two children in the area.

Over the years Henley has dedicated his time and financial resources to a number of philanthropic causes, including Chapman University, the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, and he is a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange and the Lincoln Club of Orange County.

“Being in business for myself, I had a flexibility of schedule that allowed me to participate in volunteer activities,” says Henley.

Henley originally became involved with Chapman University many years ago when it was still a college at the suggestion of his good friend George Argyros. He has continued to support the educational institution because of his belief in the school’s mission and leadership.

“Chapman has become a great learning institution,” says Henley. “With dedicated faculty and inspired visionary leadership, the university has experienced unparalleled success and become world-recognized.”

Jim Roszak is a Chapman University trustee and Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee and has known Henley for more than 15 years. “Doy is always upbeat, and I’ve never seen anyone more dedicated and committed to Chapman,” says Roszak. “He’s extremely loyal to the organization and makes a point of getting to know the students. I often see him greeting them by name.”

For Henley, watching the students achieve is highly satisfying. “Chapman students are outstanding and seeing their accomplishments makes it all worthwhile,” he says. “They are game-changers who will be effective future leaders. It is, and has been, a marvelous experience to be a small part of Chapman’s rise to becoming a university of distinction.”

No doubt Henley’s mother felt the same when she heard her four-year-old son read, but she was the most impressed years later when she discovered that he knew Jimmy Roosevelt (The oldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt).

Doy and Dee Henley Reading Room

Considering his lifelong passion for reading, it is fitting that a donation from philanthropist Henley and his wife, Dee, resulted in the Doy and Dee Henley Reading Room. Formally known as the Doy and Dee Henley Library of Social Sciences, the popular 50-seat reading room includes the Class of 2003 group study room and is located on the 2nd floor of Chapman’s Leatherby Libraries.

The Henleys also made possible the 4-floor student residence Henley Hall, the Henley Galleria, the Henley Chair and Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence in the School of Law, as well as several other gifts.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”David B. Moore”][vc_single_image image=”300″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

David B. Moore

When David Moore was a camp counselor in the late 1980s, he had an experience that in many ways prepared him for his work today as Chapman University’s Director of Planned Giving.

“We stopped for lunch at a spot outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico known as Echo Canyon. About 30 boys were exploring the area and yelling into the canyon, so the other camp counselors and I didn’t notice when four of them decided to scale the canyon wall,” says Moore. “By the time we spotted them, they had reached a perilous location and weren’t moving.”

Tensions high on the ground and the mountain, Moore and another counselor climbed to the boys. “The kids were frozen with fear, made worse by the crowd of people staring up at them,” recalls Moore. “We coached them down one step at a time, and everyone reached safety with no mishaps.”

Planned Giving Journey

While planned giving isn’t a physical journey, it can be overwhelming for donors, who may need a substantial amount of guidance for what can be a complicated process. “There are a number of tax-wise options made possible through charitable gifting tools, but most individuals simply don’t know where to start and are unfamiliar with the rules and terminology when it comes to estate and legacy planning,” says Moore, who assists individuals with estate planning tools such as bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, gifts of property and charitable lead trusts. “It’s my job to help donors take one step after another until they get where they want to go.”

Moore takes his role guiding potential donors seriously, but realizes the need for discretion. “When you do your will and plan your giving, you face your own mortality. In part because of this, many people take time to complete the process,” he says. “I never want to rush them, and I’m not trying to sell a product. The most important aspects of this position are relationships and creating win-win situations for everyone.”

According to donors such as Christine Cross, who with her husband Lon recently completed a $10 million bequest commitment for need-based scholarships, Moore does a good job of offering assistance without pushing.

“David is very gentle and not at all overbearing,” says Cross. “He introduces you to the challenges and needs of Chapman only at a rate at which you are able to accept what he’s telling you. He doesn’t overwhelm you with facts and figures and is never a hardcore salesman. Rather, he is trustworthy and a good listener. David internalizes what you’re saying so he can better understand your desires and help you realize your legacy.”

Home in California

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Moore shares that he grew up feeling geographically misplaced. “I’m fifth generation Texan, but always felt like I should be living somewhere else,” says Moore, who does not possess a Texas accent. After graduating from Texas State University-San Marcos, he worked as assistant director of alumni affairs for the school until he attended a conference in Baltimore, Maryland where he found a job in alumni relations at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). During his time there, he also held positions in annual giving and major gifts. In 2004, he spotted a posting for what looked like the ideal position at Chapman, so he applied, interviewed and was hired.

“I hadn’t planned on leaving Maryland, but I was thrilled to find a position representing such an incredible match for me,” says Moore, who quickly became impressed with Chapman’s sense of community. “Within a week of arriving, two different alumni invited me to their homes for dinner,” he recalls. “That personal connection made a huge impression on me and continues to do so.”

Moore held the position of director of alumni relations at Chapman for 4 ½ years before transitioning to his present position in 2008. “With my background in fundraising, ongoing relationships with alumni and my understanding of Chapman’s history, planned giving was the perfect fit,” says Moore, who earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman in 2009 and who oversees the Charles C. Chapman Heritage Society. The society honors those who have made a planned gift.

Endowment Council

Dean of the School of Law, Tom Campbell, comments on how well-suited Moore is for his position at Chapman. “David’s strengths are his personal charm, attention to detail and creativity,” says Campbell. “An example is the Endowment Council he established that meets at the Law School every quarter—which is a brilliant concept. He invites estate planning attorneys from Orange and surrounding counties, and we discuss recent developments in federal and state tax law, with emphasis on the taxation of trusts, estates and gifts. He includes a presentation from a Chapman student or faculty member. The event offers a useful service to the estate planning attorneys, who are positioned to recommend charitable gifts to the university.”

For Moore, there is only one drawback to his work in planned giving. “I enjoy building close relationships with the donors,” he says. “When they eventually pass, it is very emotional for me. But I get my strength from ensuring that their legacies are fulfilled and their wishes are honored in a way that would be meaningful for them.”

Charles C. Chapman Sculpture

Visitors to Chapman University are welcomed by a statue of the school’s founder, Charles Clarke Chapman. California sculptor and public artist Raymond Persinger created the statue of Fullerton’s first mayor and relative of John Chapman/aka “Johnny Appleseed.” The wall behind the bronze statue is inscribed with Chapman’s advice to his grandson about how to live one’s life.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Cool Jazz at the Ice House”][vc_single_image image=”293″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Embracing the idea that the library is a place to explore and share passions and interests, the Orange Public Library Foundation (OPLF) is hosting a Jazz Festival. Celebrating the Annual Library Legacy Gala and Awards, the June 2nd Cool Jazz event will be held at the historic Ice House in Old Towne.

“The Gala will be in a festival format,” says OPLF Executive Director Julie Kramer. “The afternoon and early evening event will include lots of great music and grazing at a wide variety of food carts offering sweet and savory treats, as well as live and silent auctions.”

Old Towne Ice House

Susan Secoy-Jensen is an architect based in Old Towne, who owns and occupies the Ice House, which has undergone adaptive reuse. The unique 1930 cold storage facility was originally built to manufacture ice and circulate cold air throughout the building in order to keep stored citrus fruit fresh.

“The Ice House is ideal for the event, because the space is home to a lot of creative entities who like to think outside of the box,” says Secoy-Jensen, referring to herself and artists and musicians who live and work there. “The Ice House already has a creative vibe, and we intend to provide a wonderful venue to enjoy the music. Because we’re nestled among other buildings on the edge of Old Towne, the acoustics are good and we can make some noise.”

Secoy-Jensen is especially interested in midcentury modern design as well as jazz music, which dovetail nicely together. “As they say, architecture is frozen music,” she says. “Art, design, architecture, fashion and music all evolve together.”

Talented Jazz Musicians

The Gala will feature an outstanding jazz lineup, including Nancy Sanchez, voted Orange County’s Best Jazz Vocalist for 2012 and 2013, and The York Quartet. The all-female jazz quartet has appeared at events such as the Long Beach and Catalina Jazz festivals and opened for Poncho Sanchez and Seal.

“We’re really looking forward to the event,” says electric and acoustic bassist Jennifer York, who is also a broadcast journalist. For more than 15 years, she did aerial Skycam reporting for Channel 5’s “KTLA Morning News” and is currently doing traffic reports for KNX 1070 radio. She was also in the movie “That Thing You Do,” which was filmed in Old Towne.

“All of us in the quartet have played together for nearly 20 years, and we are totally in tune with one another,” notes York. “We’ll be playing a variety of standards, such as the work of David Lennon.”

OPLF Library Legacy Awards

The Library Legacy Awards to be given at the event will honor Frank and Shannon Tucker for their philanthropy, Susan Secoy-Jensen, AIA, for her work preserving local architecture and the National Charity League Orange–Villa Park Chapter for their volunteer efforts.

Cool Jazz at the Ice House will be held on June 2nd from 3 pm to 7 pm. Proceeds support the foundation’s work developing and enhancing the City of Orange public libraries. Visit oplfoundation.org for information and tickets, which run $100 per person and $175 per couple.

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