It's a sad day for UC

In the last month or so, I interviewed four retiring UC academics about their education, their beginnings with UC, their accomplishments (there were many) and their retirement plans. In all, the quartet represent 126 years of service to the California agricultural industry. All of them retire today. You can read all about the retirees by going to the news releases, linked to their names. Here, I'll share the fun part: their retirement plans.

Fred Swanson, director, UC Kearney Research and Extension Center
Swanson and his wife Cheryl will stay in their new Kingsburg home during retirement, but they have many plans for travel and recreation. The Swansons will spend more time at their cabin at Huntington Lake, play more golf at the Kings River Golf and Country Club and maintain a busy schedule of fishing and hunting trips. Swanson already has plans for two more fishing trips this year in Alaska, pheasant hunting in South Dakota, duck hunting in Tulelake, dove hunting in Kingsburg and a first-time elk hunting trip in Colorado. “Life is really good!” Swanson said.

Mick Canevari, director, UC Cooperative Extension in San Joaquin County
Canevari said he and his wife will continue to operate her specialty clothing store in Stockton and he will manage the family farm. An avid outdoorsman, Canevari already has plans for a two-week hunting trip in Canada this summer, and the local fishing and hunting he has enjoyed all his life will continue, but with greater frequency. “The one thing that will change is that now I won’t have to come home on Sundays,” Canevari said.
(The Stockton Record ran a story on Canevari over the weekend titled "Outstanding in his field.")

Don Lancaster, director, UC Cooperative Extension in Modoc County
Lancaster said retirement will provide more time for hunting and fishing, pastimes he has enjoyed going back to his days in Beegum, Calif., when venison and trout were frequently on the family dinner table. Today, Lancaster is already fishing at a favorite resort in British Columbia, Canada.

Mario Moratorio, farm advisor, UC Cooperative Extension in Yolo and Solano counties
Moratorio has plans to visit his undergraduate alma mater in Uruguay in July to present a seminar on the UC agricultural extension system. “The dean of the college is a close friend of mine,” Moratorio said. “He has been trying to develop an extension system like ours in Uruguay and would like to have another voice carrying his message.” Moratorio’s home base will remain the Solano County community of Cordelia Village, where he also plans to support local farmers during his retirement by connecting them with low-income residents in order to enhance their access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

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