WE REMEMBER
Remembrances of alumni, faculty, and staff
50s
Robert Woolfolk ’58
October 2025
60s
Edward Blakely ’60
September 2025
Patricia Glasgow ’64
December 2025
Barthel Huff, Ph.D. ’68
January 2026
Duane Phillips ’69
December 2025
Stephen Pickering ’63
December 2025
70s
Michael Anderson ’71
August 2025
Ruth Fagal, Ph.D. ’78
November 2025
John Griffith ’74
September 2025
Janet Gushulak-Moore ’79
December 2025
80s
Michael Green ’88, M.S. ’90, Ph.D. ’95
September 2025
00s
Leona Hilliard ’02
February 2026
Kenneth McCandless ’09
February 2026
Ronak Patel ’09
August 2025
20s
Kyle Owens, MBA ’24
September 2025
Carl Feinstein
May 2026
A nationally recognized leader in child and adolescent psychiatry, Feinstein joined UCR in 2015 and was founding faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience in the School of Medicine.
Feinstein’s career was devoted to advancing the understanding and care of young people with autism spectrum disorders, developmental conditions, and complex psychiatric needs. As a clinician, he believed deeply in the therapeutic relationship, in listening carefully, and in meeting each child and family with dignity and compassion.
Before joining UCR, he was director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He also served as the director of the Stanford Autism Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
Feinstein received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a medical degree from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. He died May 10.
Jodie Holt
April 2026
A respected botanist, Holt dedicated more than four decades to UCR including as a faculty member, divisional dean, and director of the UCR Botanic Gardens.
Holt received a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of Georgia in 1974, followed by a master’s degree in plant ecology from UC Davis in 1977 and a doctorate in botany in 1982, also from UC Davis. She joined UCR in 1982 as a professor of plant physiology and became a central figure in the department and broader university community over the years.
Holt became a leading authority in weed science and invasive plant ecology, publishing numerous research papers that shaped the field. She served as a consultant for the science fiction film Avatar, advising on plant biology.
She chaired the botany and plant sciences department from 2003 to 2010 and served as associate dean of agriculture and natural resources from 2012 to 2015, when she retired. A year later, she became director of the Botanic Gardens, where she helped expand its stewardship and development.
Holt died April 27. She is survived by her husband, Douglas Holt; son, Doug Jr; and a granddaughter.
Adriana Romero-Olivares
April 2026
A soil microbiologist and expert in microbial ecology, Romero-Olivares joined UCR on Jan. 1 as a faculty member in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology.
Romero-Olivares’s research focused on understanding how fungi respond and adapt to changing environmental conditions, particularly in desert ecosystems of the American Southwest. Her work aimed to help address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including the impacts of global warming. A dedicated teacher and mentor, she was committed to expanding access to higher education.
Romero-Olivares earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and a doctorate from UC Irvine. She previously served on the faculty at New Mexico State University.
Romero-Olivares died April 28. She is survived by her husband Jovani Catalan-Dibene and their two young children.
Roger Ransom
December 2025
Ransom, an economic historian and author of several books on the Civil War, taught at UCR for more than 40 years.
He earned a doctorate in economic history at the University of Washington in 1963 and joined UCR’s economics department in 1968. He switched to the history department in 1984.
Ransom authored seven books including the seminal “One Kind of Freedom: The Economic Consequences of Emancipation,” a 1977 book that analyzed the institutions that replaced slavery in the post-Civil War South.
He was deeply involved in the Riverside community. He served as interim director of UCR’s California Museum of Photography for a year and later operated an arts gallery with his wife. He also served on the Riverside Unified School District Board for eight years.
Ransom died Dec. 28. He is survived by his wife, Connie; daughters Charlotte Ransom McKenzie and Leslie Flint Ransom; sister Marelie Brown; and two grandsons.
David “Dave” Willmon
April 2026
Willmon was a long-time UCR supporter and volunteer, from his days as a student and later on the alumni board and the UC Board of Regents.
Willmon enrolled at UCR as an undergraduate in the early 1970s, serving on the Associated Students of UCR board and working at KUCR. He left to join the workforce but returned to complete a bachelor’s degree in history in 1985.
A dedicated volunteer, he served for 14 years on the UCR Alumni Association board, including two terms as president. He served as alumni regent from 1997 to 1999. He played a key role in fundraising for the construction of the Alumni & Visitors Center and helped lobby for the creation of UCR’s School of Medicine.
Willmon received the Alumni University Service Award in 2004. In 2020, he took on staff roles in communications at the School of Public Policy and, later, external relations at the Bourns College of Engineering, until retiring in 2023.
He also owned a Riverside printing shop and was active in the Riverside business community, volunteering with the Riverside County Philharmonic, the Raincross Club, and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. He died April 20.