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May 29, 2009
SANTA ANA, CA - Four alumni of Santa Ana College who have
distinguished themselves in their professions and their communities will be
inducted into the Santa Ana College Foundation Alumni Hall of Fame in a ceremony
being held on campus in the Phillips Hall Theatre on Friday, June 5, at 3:30
p.m.
They are Robert David Hall, Los Angeles; A. Daniel Hohneker, Santa
Ana; Craig A. Hunter, Anaheim, and Thanh Minh Nguyen,
Jacksonville, Fla.
Hall, a character actor who plays the role of the coroner Dr. Albert Robins on
the CBS primetime show, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” lost both his legs
following an automobile accident in 1978. He is a passionate advocate for
disabled persons in the professions and serves on numerous boards and
committees, as well as a public speaker when his professional schedule allows.
In addition to teaching economics for 32 years at Santa Ana College, and serving
as chair of the combined Departments of Economics/Geography for 23 years,
Hohneker began serving on the Board of OCTFCU/SchoolsFirst Credit Union in 1964
and chaired the Board for five terms.
After retiring in 1997, he continued to work with students in the Tutoring
Center and to support the Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana.
Hunter, who is Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Anaheim, oversees all
daily operations for the department of nearly 800 full-time and volunteer
members and a budget of $120 million dollars and has pioneered a number of
innovative programs designed to improve the safety of tourists and residents in
California’s tenth largest city. He entered law enforcement as a Campus Police
Safety Officer at Santa Ana College, where he was pursuing an AA degree in
Criminal Justice. Upon graduation from the rigorous six-month training in the
Riverside County Sheriff’s Academy, he was elected president of his graduating
class, #175.
Nguyen is a pediatric endocrinologist whose career in science and medicine
started when he enrolled in a pre-calculus class in what was then Rancho
Santiago College at the age of 16, with no high school diploma or G.E.D., and
very limited mastery of colloquial English. He graduated with highest honors,
transferred to UCLA, then Ohio State University College of Medicine. After
completing residency in the Dept. of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine
and the Fellowship Program in Baylor’s Dept. of Pediatrics Endocrinology and
Metabolism Fellowship Program he joined the Nemours Children’s Clinic in
Jacksonville, Fla., where he is a pediatric endocrinologist and on staff at
Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
“I got my first taste of theater while watching rehearsals for school
productions in the room across the hall from the newsroom of el Don, the school
newspaper, where I was on staff,” Hall says. He also was supporting himself,
including earning money for tuition, by working at Disneyland as a captain on
the jungle ride. When he transferred to the University of California, Los
Angeles, he pursued a major in English Literature and a Minor in Theater Arts.
Hohneker was just out of the Navy when he moved to Santa Ana with his wife, who
was pregnant with their first child. His bond with the college was so strong
that he chose to invest the rest of his life helping students access the
education and opportunities that served him so well.
In order to serve as a Campus Police Safety Officer, Hunter, who had been a
Police Explorer in the Santa Ana Police Dept., was required to attend the Orange
County Sheriff’s Reserve Officer’s Academy, This training also qualified him to
be a Garden Grove Police Reserve Officer. These early experiences gave him the
solid real-world experience that helped him succeed first at the Academy and
then throughout his 30-year career in law enforcement.
After surviving a treacherous boat crossing from Vietnam to Thailand, Nguyen
diligently learned English taught by missionaries in the refugee camp where he,
his four siblings, and his parents stayed for two years before emigrating to the
United States. Understanding and speaking the language in class, however,
initially posed serious obstacles to his academic success. By pre-reading the
chapters in his pre-calculus class and studying a dictionary to improve his
English vocabulary on the bus ride between his home in Santa Ana and campus,
then working with his professor, Nguyen aced his first class, setting him up to
graduate with highest honors and transfer to “a school I knew about only because
my professor gave me the information and encouraged my family and me to explore
the possibilities of pursuing a bachelor’s degree,” he says.
Santa Ana College has honored outstanding alumni since 1955, when the first
three award recipients were honored. Since then, more than 150 exceptional
alumni representing all walks of life have received the Alumni Achievement
Award. In 1991, a formal Alumni Hall of Fame was developed with an annual
ceremony to honor the inductees.
According to Foundation Executive Director Christina Romero, “The selection
process is rigorous, and nominations must be supported by detailed attachments
that describe the candidate’s professional and/or personal accomplishments that
qualify him/her for this honor; personal anecdotes to help illustrate the
candidate’s service and commitment; honors the candidate may have received since
attending Santa Ana College, and past and present involvement with
organizations, clubs and/or nonprofit groups.”
For more information about the Alumni Achievement Awards and
this year’s recipients, please contact Christina Romero at (714) 564-6091.
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