Meet Our Residents
- By Jennifer McGhee -
When I asked Valerie if I could interview her as our Noteworthy Neighbor, she responded, "But I’m just an ordinary person - a retired nurse!" She went on to tell me about one of her first dinners at UVTO. The hostess sat her with a group of three other women and they soon discovered that all four were retired nurses! For those of us who have the pleasure of knowing Valerie, we enjoy her smile, positive energy and her obvious "love of people."
Valerie was born in Washington DC and grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland....
- By Jennifer McGhee, Activities Department -
Dr. Bob Scott celebrated his 95th birthday on May 15 and a celebration it was! Joined by his friends in the Westlake Dining Room, Dr. Bob enjoyed being "served like it was Buckingham Palace!" His friends are his favorite thing about living at UVTO, and he has made a lot of them since moving here nearly 3 years ago!
Born in Crystal, North Dakota, a town of 125 people near the Canadian border, Dr. Bob grew up in the Depression. Dr. Bob's father, a general practitioner, lost all of his money in the town's...
- By Peggy Perry -
Imagine the thrill of a late-teen-aged girl from Ohio heading west to visit an aunt and cousins who lived in California. And the startling surprise of having all train travel, including her homeward bound trip, canceled when World War II broke out and railroads served only the military. She stayed in California, and it turned out to be not only exciting, but life-changing for Marty Obbink.
Marty’s cousin was a couple of years older and provided a social whirl with his friends - she loved it. In time, she met and married Everett Rose, an Air...
- by Peggy Perry -
s philosophy of life is expansive - if you want to do it, just figure out a way. Jennifer's creative talents in music and writing complement Craig's entrepreneurial and artistic gifts. Their Villa home certainly reflects their myriad interests.
Born in England, raised in Canada, a resident of Los Angeles since the '50s, Jennifer earned a BA from UCLA in English (minor in music). At Western Publishing Company in Beverly Hills and as a free lance writer she has produced advertising copy, political speeches, newspaper articles, Yogi Bear stories, educational text on subjects from space programs...
On her eighteenth birthday, Clara Knopfler‘s mother made her a magnificent cake - three slices of hoarded bread coated with marmalade. The month was January, 1945, and the place was East Prussia. They had survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration camp.
Clara was born in Transylvania and lived a comfortable, village life. Her father was a shoe manufacturer, and Clara dreamed of becoming a teacher. Life was pleasant until 1940 when Transylvania was occupied by Hungarians, Hitler‘s first allies in World War II. During her sophomore year in high school, her family was taken to Auschwitz. Her 19-year old brother was shot...
- 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....
- By Peggy Perry -
Snow, snow, snow! Mary Ellen had her fill of it, growing up near Detroit, Michigan. On visiting southern California as a youngster, she announced to her mother that this is where she intended to live (no snow!), and, a few years later, she headed for a job with Beckman Instruments in Pasadena. There, one autumn weekend, she was invited to a swimming pool party – which she attended with the provision that transportation home would be provided.
Chuck Kircher had been the Navy for twelve years, and was a 1st Class Petty Officer with a combat...
- By Peggy Perry -
In this season of giving, it seems appropriate to feature a couple who has given graciously and generously of themselves for more than two years here, making life more pleasant for their UVTO neighbors. Gene and Ann Motte have certainly done that since they moved into their villa in July, 2007.
A private person resisting attention to her activities, Ann is enthusiastic about the Hospitality Committee. One of the original members in February, 2008, she co-chaired the committee last year and continues to collect, package and distribute information for new UVTO residents. A welcome surprise was...
- By Peggy Perry -
Has anyone living at University Village not used a Mastercard? Did you know that a fellow resident was on the team that developed that icon of the credit industry? Bill Michael, then working for the United Bank of California, helped represent the bank as UCB, Bank of California, Crocker and Wells Fargo teamed together in 1968 to offer an alternative to Bank of America’s then brand new, innovative VISA credit card.
Bill begins relating his life story by referring to himself as a former B 24 Liberator Bomber pilot who flew thirty WW II combat missions...
Without a long-ago classroom encounter, Ida and John O'Donoghue could not have hosted their recent gala celebration of several milestones, including their 34th wedding anniversary and Ida's retirement. But that's getting ahead of the story.
John, the seventh of thirteen children, was born in 1929 into a fieldstone home with two staircases, central heating, refrigerator and telephone, a pony and maids and a touring car. Seven years later, his depression-stressed parents relocated his six older siblings with family members; John, at age seven, became the "oldest" of seven brothers and sisters. In a small, one-bedroom house, he was responsible for bringing...
Full Meet Our Residents Archive