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SDGC
President, Devin LeBrun
Devin
is currently serving his second consecutive
term as President of the San Diego
Gator Club, and had previously spent
one year as President Elect under
then President Ed Tennant. As our
President, Devin coordinates activities
of officers and volunteers, and is
the Club liaison with the University
of Florida Alumni Association. Among
his duties and goals are to increase
Club attendance, diversity, and UFAA
memberships. Devin strives to create
a fun, open, and exciting atmosphere
so Gators can feel at home in the "West
Coast Swamp." We think he is
doing a great job of that, as attendance
is at an all-time high for both football
and basketball viewing parties.
Devin is from Tampa, FL, and earned
his UF Electrical Engineering BS
degree in 2001, and his MS in 2003.
He currently works as a Medical Device
Engineer and lives in Pacific Beach
with his wife of two years, Linnea,
and his dog Mukana. When asked what
he likes to do to relax when he's
not staying fit and active by participating
in individual and team sports and
activities, Devin just said, "I
dream big dreams!"
When you see Devin around at a Club
event, be sure to thank him for all
he does to make our great Club run
as smoothly as it does. Let him know
how much we all appreciate his stepping
up and taking the reigns as President
for the second straight year!
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SDGC
President Elect, Bena
Leslie
What
is a President Elect, you may ask?
Well, good question. One that perhaps
Bena herself may have asked before
agreeing to take on this role for
our club. As it implies, Bena will
the next President of the San Diego
Gator Club, for the 2008-2009 fiscal
year. During the current year,
she will assist the current President,
the other Officers, Directors,
and Volunteers, and learn as much
as she can about the operation
of the club and her future role
as it's President, while having
as much fun as possible! (Yes,
that's in the job description :)
After attending Nova High School in Davie, FL, Bena earned her BA in Business
Administration from UF in 2003. These days, she "earns he keep" as
a teacher, a bookkeeper, and even a part time dog sitter. She is single, lives
in Normal Heights, and for fun likes to travel and play ping pong at Rosie's
on Wednesday nights. So if you can't join her for happy hour, be sure to at least
say hello to her at the next club event and thank her for all she does (and all
she will do :) for our great club as it's eager "President in waiting."
"Every year I get more and more involved with UF and football," Bena
said. "Seems like me graduating was just the beginning of my fun college
experience!"
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Secretary/Photographer,
Wayne Mostecky
Let's face it, if you haven't seen
this man's face before, you simply
are not attending San Diego Gator
Club Events! Wayne, our Club Secretary
and Photographer, walks around
the Club at viewing parties and
other events, meeting and greeting
our members and fans. He may be
able to help you find a seat if
you are new to the club or don't
know anyone, or answer questions
you may have about the event or
other Club matters.
Wayne works with his partner, Event
Greeter and "Game Day Hostess" extraordinaire,
Chantale
Ellis, to ensure that
members get a smile and a name
tag before they settle in for a
great time celebrating Gator greatness!
He also takes pictures which are
used here on the SDCG website in
our numerous
galleries, cataloging
all the fun we have at our events.
He will gladly provide you with
any photo that he takes that you
see on the Photo
Gallery page.
Behind the scenes, he also tracks
attendance and maintains records
which the Club and even Players,
our current meeting location, can
use to assist in planning future
needs.
Originally from Rhode Island, Wayne
took advantage of the opportunity
to escape the cold weather and
migrate south to attend UF in 1972.
He attended the College of Journalism
and Communications and majored
in News Editing. While there he
was active in Intramural Sports
both as a participant and as a
flag football, softball, and swimming
official. He moved to San Diego
after leaving UF and now works
in the Financial Services industry
in North County, where he also
resides. His precious cat Dixie
is his only dependant, and he still
enjoys writing parodical humor
and poetry, as well as hiking and
volunteer work at various local
hospitals.
"The highlight of my service
time in the Club," said Wayne, "was
when I finally was able to work
with the club President at the
time to implement the use of name
tags to foster increased sociability
and accelerate the 'getting to
know each other' process, without
spending an arm and a leg on supplies
and printing costs. I love that
we all have name tags and that
I get to meet so many new people
each week by making them."
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Treasurer
- David
King
David’s duties as Treasurer of
the SDGC can be summed up in one easy
phrase, made famous by the 18th Century
French nobleman, “Count de Monet.” OK,
so it’s “Count the Money,” but
there is more to it than just that.
David balances the books, tracks expenses,
manages our club bank account, and
handles all bill payments and reimbursements
to officers who put out their own money
for club related purchases.
Originally from Jacksonville, FL, David
earned a BS in Accounting from UF in
1991, after attending Terry Parker
H.S. Now a Point Loma resident, “Kinger” is
also a lawyer who previously worked
on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley
before coming to San Diego. He is active
in politics, loves to run and box,
and enjoys having friends over to grill
meat and drink Coronas by the Jacuzzi.
If you see David at one of our events,
be sure to say hello and “thanks” for
all he does to keep our club fiscally
sound. He may “Count de Monet,” but
we all know “It’s good
to be the King.”
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Family
Coordinator - Amanda Tennant
You may notice the word "family" appears
more than a few times in Amanda's profile
here on the Club website, as Family
is practically her middle name. Her
role on the leadership team in to create,
schedule, and coordinate a few events
throughout the course of the year that
are open to all ages and appropriate
for the whole family. Additionally,
Amanda is very quick to lend support
to anyone else in our Gator Club family
of officers and volunteers wherever
and whenever there is a need.
Her husband Ed, whom she refers to
as the Ultimate Gator, can be seen
involved with countless tasks and activities
in support of our great Club. Amanda,
although not necessarily always seen,
you can bet is behind him, lending
her support in whatever he does as
well. Rest assured, Gator faithful,
the sometimes over-used phrase, "behind
every great man, there is a great woman," is
more than a metaphor in their gilded
Gator family! They even have a daughter,
Brandi, who will be transferring to
UF this Fall. They also have two other
future Gator "possible's" among
their children in Paul and Caitlin.
Hey, it wouldn't surprise me to learn
that their two Great Danes and cat
can be seen roaming their hood in their
official Gator gear as well.
Although she does work as a Community
Relations Coordinator at Retirement
Community, Amanda lives for her own
family. When not attending or planning
a Gator Club event, you'll find her
supporting the two kids still at home
with their various activities. So find
the time to say hello and thanks to
Amanda for all she does for the Gator
Nation, and the Gator Family that is
the San Diego Gator Club. We are so
lucky she found her calling after growing
up in L.A. and finishing High School
in Utah, of all places!
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Webmaster
- Marshall
Spevak
Profile written by Wayne Mostecky,
SDGC Secretary
This terrific looking website you are
viewing is made possible by our very
own top-notch Webmaster, Marshall Spevak.
Marshall designed our site, easily
one of the nicest sites of any local
Gator Club in the world, from scratch,
using suggestions and input from many
of our local club leaders and his own
creative imagination. He works diligently
to maintain the site with updated details
regarding schedules, scores, photos,
and other pertinent event information
on a very timely basis. He also continuously
upgrades and improves the site to include
an ever increasing plethora of useful
and entertaining material.
And as he meets the needs, wants, and
deadlines of various club officers,
he must balance his efforts to effectively
manage his own business and personal
affairs. Marshall is currently an Associate
Publisher at Elsevier Public Safety
Publications. He earned his Bachelors
degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences
at UF in 1982, after attending Wolfson
Senior High School in Jacksonville,
FL.
Marshall also enjoys, when he manages
to tear himself away from his computer
screen, photography, surfing, travel
and his two rescued greyhounds.
He will be celebrating his ten year
anniversary with his wife, Liz, on
October 18th, whom he married on a
day that the Gators beat Auburn 24-10!
So if you see Marshall or his lovely
wife enjoying a game at Players or
any other Gator Club event, wish them
a Happy Anniversary and let him know
how much the SDGC appreciates what
a great face his work has put on our
great club!
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Academic
Affairs VP - Peggy Poulson
The Club's VP of Academic Affairs will
primarily focus on its academic scholarship
fund. Our Club, as with all of the
Clubs in Region 8 (west of the Mississippi
River), is striving to take a more
pro-active role in raising more funds
for needy, worthy Gator students. "We
have a wonderful and strong social
component (in our Club), and I would
like to strengthen the academic support
side," Peggy said of her role
within our organization.
Peggy is a Gator true and through.
Although she was born in New York City
("New York City?!"), she
attended Ft. Lauderdale High School
before attending, and then earning
a BA in Political Science from, UF
in 1970. She presently owns a graphic
design company in Mission Hills and
lives in Poway. When not involved in
Club activities or running her company,
she enjoys reading, gardening, volunteering,
and watching all kinds of college sports.
Peggy has other loves as well, namely
her converted "Great Gator Mater" hubby
Bob, actually a U of Maine alum and
local attorney, and her daughter Rachel,
who works at the San Diego Zoo. She
also loves cats (don't Gators eat cats?)...
all cats, really, but particularly
her very own fat cat named Fudge. Gator
Nation will only survive and thrive
with a healthy crop of future Gators,
and programs like local Gator Club
scholarship funds can only help that
long term objective. So when you see
Peggy, be sure to thank her for the
efforts she makes to raise money so
UF will continue to be an option for
all deserving students!
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Music
Coordinator - Ken Wilder
"Who's that man sitting at the
corner table by himself?," I am
often asked. If I had buck each time
a new member asked me that I could
eat the Players buffet for free each
week! (-Wayne Mostecky, SDGC Secretary)
That man is Ken Wilder, the Club Music
Coordinator, or as he prefers, simply "The
Music Man." And he's not as alone
as he may appear to be. He sits with
his passion. He sits with his spirit.
He sits with his sound system. He loves
it. And he's not always physically
alone. He brings his grandchildren
to the Club, and many veteran members
stop by during the course of a viewing
party to say hello to Ken. He is a
former UF Marching Band member. He
is a former SDGC President. These qualifications
bring with them the unique ability
for Ken to infuse a special atmosphere
of Gator pride, Gator spirit, and Gator
glory to our events. He knows what
songs to play, and when. He knows what
cheers to start, and when. Without
Ken, Saturdays at the West Coast Swamp
would certainly not be the same.
Ken is a charter member of our local
Gator club, which is over 14 years
running now. When not at the Club,
Ken is a substitute teacher in the
Santee School District. He is a family
man, married for 43 years, with two
children and three grandchildren, one
of whom is his special video game partner,
Jacob. Ken is from Illinois, and went
to High School in Los Angeles before
attending UF and graduating in 1971.
It would be easy to take the "Sounds
of the Swamp" for granted. But
we are loyal Gators, and we appreciate
the special magic Ken brings to our
Club each week. Be sure to find the
time to stop by his table and let him
know that. He'd love to meet you!
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Event
Greeter - Chantale
Ellis
OK, so Chantale prefers to call herself
the "Game Day Hostess." And
she probably deep down inside has "with
the Mostest" attached to it as
well. Well, if Game Day Hostess With
the Mostest gets this vivacious, energetic,
gregarious and pleasantly loquacious
bundle of fun coming back to our Club,
we'll call her anything she likes.
The position of Event Greeter actually
covers all events, not just game day
viewing parties, but as an on-call
Registered Nurse at Mercy Hospital,
Chantale sometimes must disappoint
us and miss an event or two. Most of
the time, however, she can be counted
on to not only show up, but light up
the Club with her smile, sense of humor,
and ability to make everyone feel welcome
and important.
As "Hostess," Chantale partners
up with Club Secretary Wayne Mostecky,
making sure that all who come out to
enjoy a Gator Club event get a name
tag, a smile, and perhaps some help
finding a seat or getting a question
answered. We don't know what kind of
nurse she makes, but it could not possibly
be any better than the kind of hostess
she makes. Chantale usually "works
the door," putting a friendly
face on the Club for those just arriving,
knowing that those that sneak by her
for whatever reason, will be approached
and greeted by Wayne or one of the
other helpful officers, directors,
or volunteers of the Club.
The bad news, gentlemen, is that she
says she is "taken." Single
but unavailable, Chantale moved here
to the San Diego area from Florida.
She got her Nursing degree from SFCC
after doing her first two years at
UF. Originally from Plant City, FL,
she graduated from the local High School
in 1986. When she is not Nursing patients,
or showing patience at the crowded
and sometimes chaotic greeting line
at the Players Club entrance, she enjoys
traveling and snowboarding. So if you
are one of the fortunate members to
somehow evade the Secretarial clipboard
and get your name tag stuck on you
by our very own "Hostess Cupcake," be
sure to thank her for taking the time
to make the experience of attending
Gator Club events a very pleasant one
for everyone.
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At-large
Director - Ed Tennant
When asked about his duties as an At-Large
Director, Ed Tennant said, "Duties?
I have duties? I just like to help
out wherever I can and try to find
new people to get involved." Well
if you are one of the many Gator Club
members who knows Ed, you know how
humble a remark that is. Call them
what you will--perhaps "duties" implies
clearly defined responsibilities--but
whatever they are, he's got 'em! If
you've ever been to any Gator Club
event, be it a football or basketball
viewing party, beach clean-up, kickoff
BBQ, or anything else, you have no
doubt seen Ed front-and-center performing
numerous tasks and activities without
which our Club would not exist. He
hauls, he grills, he sells, he writes,
he calls. He suits up and shows up.
Always in orange and blue attire, and
always with a positive attitude and
smile on his face (except, of course,
when there is a camera in it :).
All this from a man who never actually
attended UF, but rather Central Texas
College. He grew up in a small town
outside Gainesville more known for
it's prison, called Starke, FL. But
rooting for any other team than the
Gators growing up in Starke would get
you beat up on the Bradford County
High School playground. So a Gator
fan was born a long time ago, who has
now become an integral part of our
great club.
A former Club President, Ed makes his
living as a Healthcare Administrator
and Consultant, developing Ambulatory
Surgery Centers. He also enjoys reading,
playing round ball, traveling, and
studying Gator football. Ed is married
to Amanda, also an officer in the SDGC
(read her profile also!), and has three
children, two dogs, and a cat. He lives
in and commutes to Gator Club events
from Murrieta, 45 minutes north of
San Diego, which causes Ed to chuckle
a bit when he hears people say they
can't come to our gigs because they
live "all the way out in El Cajon," or
somewhere. So introduce yourself to
this Super Gator if you don't already
know him. Tell him he has your gratitude,
your respect, your appreciation, even
your admiration. Just don't tell him
he has duties!
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At-large
Director - Marlene Pearah
No, Marlene is not a large Director.
Far from it. She is an At-Large Director,
which for UF Gator Clubs usually
means one of three individuals who
have previously served the Club in
the capacity of President. Marlene
has not only done that, but has also
served as Treasurer for two terms
and is currently serving her fourth
term on the Board of Directors. Directors
help out in general Club matters
and have a vote in all voting matters.
Marlene is also the Point-of-Contact
person for our Club's local beach
cleanup activities.
After attending Astronaut High School
in Titusville, FL, Marlene earned
her BS in Industrial & Systems
Engineering from UF in 1989. She
currently is involved with SPAWAR
Systems Center. And no, SPAWAR is
not a water fight in a Jacuzzi. It
is a US Navy entity here in San Diego,
for which she works as an engineer
in the Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance
Division. She enjoys traveling and
watching and playing sports. She
owns
a condo in the UTC area of San Diego.
Although she may not be a large woman,
clearly this At-Large Director has
made some large contributions to
the success of our great Club over
the years. So be sure to give Marlene
a "salute" of gratitude
the next time you see her at a Club
event and see if you can get her
to commit to another decade of service.
We really need her!
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At-large
Director and Region 8 Young Alumni
Council Representative - Malachi
Bierstein
Well
we may officially be The Gators,
but there appears to be a "Globetrotter" in
our midst. No, not a Harlem Globetrotter,
but an actual Globe Trotter. Let's
just say that Malachi Bierstein,
one of three At-Large Directors
of the San Diego Gator Club, travels
A LOT these days. But it hasn't
always been that way. A Gator Club's "At-Large
Directors" are generally three
people who have previously served
as Club President, which Malachi
did during the '04-'05 campaign.
As a member of our Board of Directors,
Malachi ("Mal") helps
out with Club functions as he can
and has a vote in any voting matter.
In addition to his title and job
duties for our local Club, Mal
also serves as the UFAA Young Alumni
Council Representative for Region
8, which consists of all the Gator
Clubs west of the Mississippi River.
You can find out more information
on young alumni programs at http://www.ufalumni.ufl.edu/youngalumni/default.aspx.
His current job as Sr. Manager,
Global Accounts for San Diego based
DivX, Inc. has him traveling so
much he is forced to miss some
of our club events, but you can
bet he more than makes up for any
fun he may have missed while gone
by hangin' with the many Gators
who have come to know him and his
enthusiastic support of the University
and the Gators.
Mal earned his BS in Industrial & Systems
Engineering from UF in 2000, and
currently lives in Clairemont Mesa
with his two beloved dogs, Alli
and Tory. When in town and not
partying with the Gator faithful,
Mal enjoys music, surfing, and
flag football. Say hi to Mal, and
thank him for all he's done for
the Club and his continued support...
if you can catch him between flights!
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