- By Peggy Perry -
On February 11 nine healthcare professionals will be honored by the Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation – one will be Lois Friss, a Villa resident. Lois and Jerry were actually the first full-time Villa residents of University Village, moving in on July 2, 2007. But let's go back a few years...
When they met in the dining hall at Syracuse University, both Lois and Jerry were in school as recipients of New York State Scholarships. Their first date was dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and they still have the sugar cube wrapper from that significant meal. Married between their junior and senior years, Jerry completed his degree in Business Administration, and Lois earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. As newlyweds, they sold blood to buy groceries, though Lois had to run up and down stairs a bit to pass the blood pressure test before donating.
Jerry entered the U.S. Army, in the Military Police at 3rd Army headquarters in Georgia. His experience in security expanded, and he subsequently worked with guidance systems at North American Aviation and military security at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Maria. Following his aerospace involvement, Jerry became an expert on computer systems for the management of physicians' medical practice, eventually leaving a private company, Intellectron, to work independently.
His expertise made his chairmanship of UVTO's Safety, Security and Transportation Committee a natural. Looking at issues 'globally,' Jerry believes the committee increased its awareness of campus security and how it works, and has recognized and pursued appropriate roles in working with management on broad security issues. Specific accomplishments include installation of the speed monitoring sign, repainted road markings, directional signs at the main entry and the popular handrail down the steps from the clubhouse to the lower patio area.
While Jerry was in the Army in Atlanta, Lois began her nursing career. Jerry enrolled in an MBA program at UCLA; Lois accepted a teaching position at the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing. Earning a Master's degree and Doctor of Public Health at UCLA, her focus has been on policy and area-wide approaches to health care issues, as she worked for Riverside County Head Start, at Loma Linda University, and as a professor at USC. Also at USC, she volunteered as President of the Retired Faculty and was ombudsman for the Emeriti Center for retired staff and faculty. Locally, her focus is regional planning for public health efforts, in chronic disease management for seniors. Her award as Volunteer of the Year recognizes her work on the advisory committee of the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and as chair of the county's Health Issues Committee.
Jerry and Lois have two daughters: Karen is a director of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis and has two children, and Leslie is a Nationwide Insurance claims manager. They have a passion for Native American pottery and for genealogical study of their families. We recognize their talents and accomplishments, and salute them both as February's Noteworthy Neighbors