In Memoriam

James (Jim) H. Cheney ’65 P’94 of Newport Beach, Calif., died Aug. 20, 2025. He was born May 19, 1943, in Arcadia, Calif. After graduating with an Economics degree, Cheney earned graduate business degrees at UCLA and USC. He served as COO of Community Bank and later as president and CEO of Mechanics Bank and president and CEO of Merchants Bank. Cheney served as CEO of Hathaway Children and Family Services and contributed many years of leadership to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Weingart Center, Banning Museum, and Palos Verdes Art Center. He and his wife of 33 years, Carolyn, made their home on Balboa Island and traveled to all seven continents. He is survived by his wife; daughter, Ann; son, Rob ’94 (Monika ’95); and 
two grandchildren.

Michael (Mike) I. Line ’68 of Poway, Calif., died Feb. 6, 2024. He was a Political Science major. A fixture in the Morro Bay Community, he had worked as a librarian at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo before retirement.

Roger K. Mizumori ’68 of Freeland, Wash., died November 19, 2024. He was born in Caldwell, Idaho, on April 20, 1946, and grew up in Seattle. After earning a B.A. in Mathematics at CMC, where he was on the cross country and track and field teams, he completed an M.A. in education at Claremont Graduate University in 1973. Mizumori spent his career in technical fields, with Compaq and Boeing his employers for the greatest length of time. He was deeply committed to honoring the experiences of his parents and other Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned in internment camps during WWII. He loved his family, volleyball, bridge, music, and theater. Mizumori was preceded in death by his sister, Nancy, and is survived by his life partner, Marlene Blessing; son, Kenji; daughter, Michelle; two grandchildren; and four siblings.

James L. Alexander ’70 of Vista, Calif., died April 6, 2025. He was born Feb. 18, 1942, in Houston, Texas, and his family mainly lived in the Hill Country, Uvalde, and Kerrville. Alexander was a History major and football player. He ran his own business, Pennywise Property Management, and retired in 2007. He was also active in his church, St. Francis of Assisi in Vista, became a Knight of Columbus, and joined St. Vincent de Paul, St. Francis Conference with his wife 17 years ago.

Armando A. Bustos ’72 of Upland, Calif., died Jan. 4, 2023. He was born May 29, 1941, in California. Bustos was a Psychology major who went on to earn an MPA from the University of LaVerne. He served in the Air Force Reserve for over 30 years and lived in San Bernardino County for more than 40 years.

Paul A. Fisher ’73 of Roseville, Calif., died April 11, 2025. He was an Anthropology major who also earned an M.A. in management science from Claremont Graduate University.

Daniel (Dan) D. Gilbert ’73 of Vienna, Va., died April 1, 2025. He was an Economics and Literature major. While at CMC, Gilbert memorably ran for student body president as a junior on an “apathy platform.” He promised to do “absolutely nothing”—and sadly, classmates remember that his campaign was so apathetic, he lost. Gilbert was an avid student of history and moved to northern Virginia to enjoy the resources of the nearby Smithsonian. He was the founder and driving force behind The Appen Regiment, a Scottish reenactment organization. His philanthropic activities also included many trips and contributions to Colonial Williamsburg. Gilbert was devoted to his nieces and nephews, along with the children of his close friends. He especially loved to sail; family and friends were touched by his memorial service, which was held in Baltimore aboard a schooner.

Cedric Johnson ’74 of Marina del Rey, Calif., died March 12, 2025. He was a Mathematics major and a football player. In 1994, Johnson received the CMC Alumni Association’s George C.S. Benson Distinguished Achievement Award. He is survived by three children, Cameron, Randle, and Kelse, and two grandchildren.

Rockne (Rocky) L. Moseley ’74 of New Orleans, La., died Feb. 19, 2025. He was born March 21, 1952, in Pasadena, Calif. Moseley was a Political Science and History major and a football player. After graduation, he took a job that allowed him to travel the country for several years before he landed in New Orleans. While working in construction, he enrolled in law school and earned a J.D. at Tulane University. In 1983, Moseley married Rebecca Dowling, and they had five children. He started his legal career as a prosecutor at the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. He then moved to private practice, eventually becoming managing partner at Lea, Plavnicky & Moseley. He struck out on his own with Moseley & Associates PLC in part to devote time to local politics and his love of preservation. During this time, he was president of the Coliseum Square Association and a member of the board of advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Later, he became senior counsel for J. Ray McDermott’s Asia Pacific division, first in Singapore and then Dubai. He is survived by his wife; five children; and two grandchildren.

William (Bill) F. Andrews ’75 of Garden Grove, Calif., died April 24, 2025. He was a History and Political Science major who went on to earn an M.S. in communications and international relations from Johns Hopkins University.

Scott Lichtig ’75 of Los Angeles, Calif., died May 24, 2025. He was a Political Science major and a member of the swimming and diving team and water polo team. After earning his J.D. from UC Berkeley, Lichtig joined Lewis Brisbois’ L.A. office as one of the firm’s first associates in 1979. As a member of the professional liability practice, he defended major insurance carriers and their insureds. Lichtig was at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ movement, particularly in the 1980s; and he advocated for recruiting attorneys and staff from historically underrepresented groups. He was passionate about educating young people about the U.S. Constitution and government processes and served on many civic boards, including the Constitutional Rights Foundation. After practicing law for 30 years, Lichtig retired and traveled the world with his husband, David.

George R. Moore ’75 of Claremont, Calif., died March 3, 2025. He was born June 14, 1951, in Michigan. Moore was a Literature major who helped create the Claremont Forum, Prison Library Project, and Claremont Farmers & Artisans Market. He was a ceramicist and served as a board member at the Clay Yard. Moore also pursued alternative medicine and was an early member of a biofeedback group in Pasadena in the 1980s. His partner of more than 20 years and wife, Sarah Romo, died on April 4. He is survived by his stepson, Adan, and daughter-in-law Leslie.

David (Dave) T. Markette ’79 of Hamilton, Mont., died Feb. 20, 2025. He was born Dec. 27, 1956, in Boston, Mass. A few years later, the family moved to Cut Bank, Mont. After a year at Montana State University, Markette’s family said, “he made one of the best decisions of his life and transferred to CMC.” An Economics and Accounting major, he played football and rugby and joined skiing clubs. After law school at the University of Oklahoma, Markette relocated to Amarillo, Texas, where he worked for oil and gas clients and had two children. In 1994, they moved back to Montana, where he started his own practice in Hamilton and ranched on the weekends. He was a scuba diver, skier, cowboy and horseman, cook, reader, and family man. Markette is survived by his partner, Tracey; daughter, Alison; son, Jeffrey; Tracey’s son, Kyle; four grandchildren; and ex-wife, Deidra.

John G. Giannakis ’80 of Houston, Texas, died April 22, 2024. He was a Science and International Relations major and played soccer. Giannakis earned an M.D. from Oregon Health & Science University. An avid golfer and soccer lover, his truest passion was spending summer vacations with his family and loved ones on the island of Cyprus. He is survived by his wife, Diana; children, Despina and George; and three granddaughters.

Ellen M. (Raine) Burkhart ’82 of Meeteetse, Wyo., died Nov. 13, 2024. She was born Jan. 24, 1961, in Lynwood, Calif., and grew up in Whittier. After graduating with an Economics degree, she married Matt Burkhart ’79. After working as a banker in L.A. and Long Beach, she went to law school at UCLA, graduating in 1993. Her life became focused on family with the arrival of three children, Gordon, Douglas, and Margaret; and she volunteered at their schools and in the community. When her husband retired from the energy industry, they moved to Wyoming in 2016. Burkhart loved knitting, sewing, hiking, skiing, and cycling, as well as her dogs and raising chickens and bees.

Jerome (Jerry) A. Schwartz ’82 of San Gabriel, Calif., died May 27, 2025. He was a Philosophy and Political Science major and a member of the track and field team. A former Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association president, he was married to Karen T. Jacobson ’83.

Katrina Polaski ’90 of London, England, died Dec. 11, 2024. An Economics major, she played volleyball, track and field, and basketball. Polaski earned an MBA at Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaire. She had three children, Liam, Hannah, and Phoebe-Lu, with her husband, Breon Corcoran. For 12 years, Polaski was a parent, teacher, and governor at St. Osmund’s RC Primary School.

(Ret.) Col. Daniel (Dan) T. Markert ’91 of San Jose, Calif., died March 18, 2025. He was born Dec. 2, 1968, in Torrance and grew up in Costa Mesa. After enlisting in the U.S. Army following high school, he was an International Relations major at CMC, where he played water polo. He served as an ROTC cadet and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1991. In 2010, he earned an M.S. in health sciences with a concentration in emergency and disaster management from Trident University International. Over three decades, Markert served in the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army, retiring in 2021. His service included multiple federal deployments, including two tours in Afghanistan and rear detachment command supporting operations during the Iraq War. Markert completed his military career as the state director of plans and operations at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Sacramento, where he led major statewide missions during the pandemic, wildfires, and civil unrest. He was recognized with numerous awards and decorations for outstanding leadership and bravery, and his campaign and service awards include the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the NATO Afghanistan Service Medal with a Bronze Service Star. After retiring from the military, Markert joined the leadership team of a wildfire technology startup focused on data modeling to protect California communities. He married Krista in 1993, and they raised four sons, Casey, Ryan, Connor, and Reagan. A devoted family man, he served as an Elder at Saratoga Presbyterian Church.

Jennifer (Jen) A. (Boyd) Poole ’99 of La Jolla, Calif., died Jan. 26, 2025. She was a Psychology major. Poole is survived by her husband, Mike; daughter, Sam; and son, Steven.

Caleb C. Nerstad ’05 of Santa Barbara, Calif., died July 26, 2025. He was a Government major, Stag football player, and RA of Green Hall who participated in ROTC and the Sailing Club. Nerstad earned an MBA at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is survived by his wife, Erin (Evans) Nerstad ’05, and daughters, Ava and Vivian.

Eleanor (Elie) R. Estebanez ’09 of Yonkers, N.Y., died Oct. 6, 2024. She was an Environment, Economics, and Politics major. Estebanez went on to earn a bachelor of science in nursing at New York University and a master of science in pediatric nursing from Stony Brook University. She worked as a registered nurse at the NYU Langone Medical Center, and as a pediatric nurse practitioner at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and, most recently, Sunshine Children’s Home and Rehab Center.

Aichatou (Aicha) Diaw ’24 of Oakland, Calif., died May 6, 2025. She was a Cognitive Science major and a resident assistant for Crown Hall, a role that earned her the College’s O’Keefe Award in 2024 for serving as “an exemplar for what it means to be a part of the residential community at CMC.” Additionally, Diaw was a student assistant in the Dean of Students office, a First-Year Guide, a leader with the College Programming Board, and a member of the Black Women’s Collective, Black Student Association, and Muslim Student Association. Starting in 2022, she worked as a researcher and student leader in the UMA Lab (The Umanath Memory & Aging Lab) with Professor Sharda Umanath in the Psychological Science department. Her senior thesis was on understanding cognition in aging to improve UX design in order to make it more accessible to older adults. Diaw believed in making digital interfaces more inclusive by using cognitive changes over the lifespan as a basis for how products should be created. Her goal after CMC was to pursue a masters in human-computer interaction. Those who knew Diaw will always remember one of her favorite phrases—“Do better”—and how she used it to uplift and motivate others across campus.