In recognition of his groundbreaking work in forest economic modeling, Joseph Buongiorno is receiving the prestigious Marcus Wallenberg Prize. This April, Buongiorno heard the phone ring at the Rossmoor home he shares with his wife of 51 years, Angela. Buongiorno, whose innovative work as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Departm...

Katie Mayers, the Tice Creek Fitness Center’s newest trainer, has worked in some splendid facilities in her three decades in the fitness industry. Yet she was awestruck when she began working at Rossmoor’s sweeping fitness complex in March. “To be able to come here to this phenomenal facility, my jaw was on the floor for a week,” Mayers said. “One ...

After 59 years, Tice Valley United Methodist Church’s final Sunday service was June 26, 2022, with 15 people in attendance, including the pastor. The Rossmoor-based church was formally merged into Lafayette United Methodist Church five days later. Now, Tice Valley United Methodist is making what likely will be its final gesture to its longtime comm...

After 30 years as head golf professional in Rossmoor, Mark Heptig said it’s time to change gears. While he remains director of golf, he has turned over the head pro job to Jacque Vigil. Vigil, who has been first assistant pro on the golf team for 3 1/2 years, assumed her new role May 1. In a well-planned handoff, Vigil will oversee day-to-day Golf ...

Dwight Walker re-elected as GRF president One new face joined the GRF Board on Monday, as Carol Lehr was officially installed as part of the 59th GRF Annual Meeting of Members. Lehr, who will represent District E on the Board, succeeds Neva Flaherty, who opted not to seek a second three-year Board term. Lehr ran unopposed. James Lee, appointed to t...

In a past life as a developer in Colorado, Clay Dunning was overseeing construction of an apartment building that was 80 percent complete when an arson fire destroyed it. Fire-rated drywall panels, which weren’t part of the building code in Colorado at the time, may well have helped stop that fire from spreading. Dunning said he was all for approvi...

Board also discusses facility usage fee, MyRossmoor.com The GRF Board on Thursday approved moving ahead with a study to determine whether it’s practical, or possible, to convert the vacant GRF-owned medical center building just outside Rossmoor into GRF-related office space – perhaps as a replacement for the old, overcrowded Mutual Operations Depar...

Gatekeepers of golf courses Keeping the golf courses running smoothly is a combined effort. Rossmoor’s marshals – a dedicated band of eight knowledgeable volunteers – play a significant role in that. These women and men each know their way around a golf course, what the rules are and how the flow of play should be. Helping keep games running on tim...

Tom Hand is settling into his new job While the ongoing work to replace GRF’s Jenark accounting and property- management software system will remain a priority for new GRF Chief Financial Officer Tom Hand, he’s also got another project that he hopes to start once he settles in. “I want to start more formalized future budget forecasting,” said Hand,...

As the new Sector 1 commander for the Walnut Creek Police Department, Lt. Jeff Slater will be a familiar presence in the Rossmoor community. Slater, a 23-year Walnut Creek police veteran, jumped right in on April 25, when he joined other Walnut Creek city representatives and Rossmoor Public Safety Manager Tom Cashion for a traffic safety presentati...