Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of California, Berkeley

2 The Golden Heart Tom Hobday '64 grew up in Sacramento, but he and his wife have spent much of their time at their Truckee cabin, which they turned into a home 16 years ago. The decision was easy, made mostly to avoid the six-hour commute in traffic! Highlight of past year: Tom's twin grandsons, who are 23, graduating from college. One thing he loves to do on a daily basis: In winter, Tom loves to go downhill skiing. He's been skiing for 60 years, and for his 75th birthday he will be skiing in Sun Valley with his wife, Pam, twin grandsons, and two skiing buddies. In a normal winter, he spends about 40 days skiing. In the summer, it's hiking and water sports. He goes sailing and has a boat named Dame di Fino at Pier 39 in San Francisco that he bought in 1979. He named it at 3 a.m. for "damned if I know" after being frustrated at not being able to come up with something original. Person who most influenced his life choices when growing up: His dad and his dad's business partner, who was the mayor of Sacramento. After serving in the army and returning from Vietnam, Tom joined his family business, working for 30 years and eventually becoming partner with his dad's partner's son. They now have a cabin in Truckee right next to Tom's and have been lifelong friends. After the family business, Tom worked at UC Davis as assistant dean of the medical school for five years and is now CEO of a medical research company in Truckee. Fun fact: When he was at Berkeley it was "trial by fire" and half of the freshman class did not finish the year. Roger Kaufman '65 was active in SigEp from 1958- 65 before moving to the east coast where he has been with his wife and five children ever since. He worked for the same company for 35 years, retiring in 2000. His first job was as a SigEp regional director and he later was district governor for the New Jersey area. As a single child, the fraternity brotherhood meant a great deal to him and has contributed to how active he has been, serving as athletic chairman, recruitment chairman, and president during his undergraduate years. He has stayed in touch with his brothers through reunions hosted by Dr. Michael Green '62, of which he's been to every one. Highlight of the past year: Roger and his wife have gotten the chance to travel and have many timeshares. They like to spend one month each in Mexico and Riviera annually, as well as traveling to visit their kids and grandkids. Life slogan: "Work hard but have fun." Favorite family memory: He and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2016. On marriage, Roger shared, "If you get the right one there's nothing better; if you get the wrong one nothing is worse." He's been lucky to have the right one! Fun fact: Tuition for him at Berkeley was $66 per semester when he started and $132 when he graduated. A key success contributor: Roger and his wife have lived below their means. They have been able to save 10% per year, which allowed them to help all five of their children go through college and retire a bit early. Frank Isola '68 Highlight of past year: Frank and his wife have been spending most of their time traveling. Two of their favorite trips were spending 14 nights in the Amazon and Machu Picchu with the Cal Alumni Association and traveling to Sicily. They have been to Italy before but never south of Rome until this trip. They went for two and a half weeks with two other couples they often travel with. Pompeii was interesting and Frank was very impressed by the beauty of the Amalfi coast, as well as its history. They had a local tour guide who talked about the mafia that was there in the '50s when they experienced some big blood baths; Corleone's population went from mid-20,000s to 10,000s due to the conflict. Most memorable past vacation: They most enjoyed their trip to South Africa in 2007. They took both their son (26 at the time) and daughter (23 at the time) and went to Kruger National Park and stayed at the game preserves. The first night they saw a pride of 20 lions that weren't more than 10 or 15 yards away from their open-top vehicle. Getting to see wildlife in their natural habitat was an incredible experience for them all. Favorite local activity: Attending Cal football and basketball games. Although traffic has gotten much worse, Frank always enjoys returning to the campus area. Would like to be most remembered for: Being liked by most people, a good mentor and boss. But mostly, Frank wants to be remembered for having been consistent about being a person of his word— if he says he'll do something, he does it. One skill he'd like to develop if he could do it easily: Play the piano. Frank has only ever played the accordion, but there are many great pianists in the Bohemian Men's Club he is a part of who inspire him. Mason Foster '99 Highlight of past year: One year ago, Mason transitioned his commercial photography side-business into a full- time career—doubling the business as a result. It started as a San Francisco-based operation, but they now work events all over the country. They have new offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, and soon, Utah. The business has approximately 20 employees and focuses on delivering magazine-quality studio photography and video production for large audiences at corporate events and trade shows. It has been a challenge for Mason to scale and maintain the same high-quality bar as before. Since leaving his career in tech, Mason now works out of a photography studio five minutes from his home in Walnut Creek, California, and gets to spend a lot more time with his family. However, he shares that the pressures and challenges of work don't turn off when he's at home. Favorite part of his job: Doing photography, especially creating new styles and looks. This has also been the part Mason has been doing the least of, with all of the business operations and logistics to coordinate. He's just hired someone to take over the day-to-day work so he can get back to focusing on the creative direction. Favorite family memory: Growing up, Mason would take family vacations every summer to Lake Tahoe. He still goes back, bringing his own kids along. Some of the same restaurants still exist and they like to go there to get milkshakes. What soothes your spirit when you are unhappy? Whiskey. Dave Berneman '06 Highlight of past year: Dave runs a real estate investment business that has been growing quite rapidly this past year. His company, Spotlight on Success GIVING CENTER STAGE TO CA ALPHA'S ALUMNI (Continued on page 4)

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