Jack Morehead
Grew up in Estes Park, CO. Attended Colorado A & M (now Colo. State Univ.) and graduated in 1954
with a degree in Forest & Park Recreation Management. Worked seasonally with the National Park
Service (NPS) in college and until drafted into the Army in 1955. Served as an instructor in the
Mountain & Cold Weather Training Command (10th Mountain Division). Resumed career with the
National Park Service and worked with NPS for 40+ years. Served all over the U.S. in a wide variety
of positions and National Park areas. During career, served as Superintendent of Isle Royale N.P.
(MI), Everglades N.P. (FL), and Yosemite N.P. (CA). Was assigned to Washington D.C. for 2+ years
as the Associate Director, Operations, for all the National Parks. Retired in 1994 from the position of
Regional Director of the Alaska Region, NPS. Moved to Morro Bay, CA in 1994. Worked for several
years as a consultant for park planning and environmental compliance in locations including
Yosemite, Death Valley, the Bahamas, and Jordan.
Tim Postiff
Born and raised in Michigan, he moved to California in 1957. Received a B.A. from UC Riverside.
Taught science at Rialto (CA) Jr. High School (4 years) and physics and math at Aquinas High
School in San Bernardino, CA (4 years). He obtained a M.S. Teaching degree from the University of
Wisconsin, Superior. He taught physics, math and computers at Holbrook High School in Arizona (13
years). While at Holbrook he was at times chairman of the math department, science department and
member and chairman of the curriculum committee and taught math classes for Northland Pioneer
(community) College. Tim taught physics, math and computers at Wickenburg High School in Arizona
(2 years). After studying computer science at Arizona State University Tim moved to Whittier, CA to
care for his mother. He moved to Cambria, and since 2007 has been a volunteer for Friends of the
Elephant Seal (FES) and the Piedras Blancas Light Station. He is on the training committee of FES
as well as a member of the board. Tim also volunteers with The Otter Project.
James Harris
Received his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering (EE) from UC Berkeley and a PhD in EE from
Syracuse University. He was an Assistant Professor at Howard University, and an Associate
Professor at the University of the District of Columbia, both in Washington, D.C. He is a Professor
(emeritus) with the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Computer Engineering Program at
Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. He served as the Department Head of the EE Department from
1982-89, and was Director of the Computer Engineering Program in 1993-97 and 2008-09. From
1990-92, he was a Program Director in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National
Science Foundation in Washington, D.C. He worked for TRW in Redondo Beach, CA for 11 years,
primarily on signal processing projects. He is a member of IEEE, ASEE, ACM, AAAS, and SHOT.
Fred Apitz
Born in Sorau, Germany (now Zary, Poland), was educated as Electro-Mechanical Technician at
Werner von Siemens School /Frankfurt, received a degree in Business Administration from Georg
Hartmann School/Frankfurt. Served 18 months in the German Army in the communication battalion,
honorable discharge. Emigrated to and became a citizen of the United States and started as
Electronic Technician with a traffic control company. Started my own company (Traconex, Inc. a
partnership) in Santa Clara. We had roughly 50 employees; my position included the duties of IT
(QAD on IBM mainframe), manufacturing, distributor sales and accounting. We sold the company and
I bought a ranch in the Cambria area, tried my hand in agriculture (not terribly successful) and
financial management (somewhat more successful). Sold the ranch and now live in Cambria. I
dabbled in early computer programming and wrote an economically successful program (Tracocalc). I
hold a private pilot license and scuba certificate. I volunteered with Hearst Castle visitor center for 6
years and initiated and maintained their computerized volunteer database, and I currently volunteer
with Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.
David Cooper
Raised in Los Angeles and graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1970, spending his summers as a
short order cook at Sebastian’s Store in San Simeon. Received a Ph.D. in American Studies from
Brown University. Taught English at UCSB for ten years. Began teaching at Michigan State University
(MSU) in 1989 and held various visiting faculty appointments, including an Eli Lilly Professorship at
Berea College in Kentucky. Founded and directed MSU’s Public Humanities Collaborative (20062011), an effort to link faculty, students, and university resources with state government and
community nonprofits. Was founding faculty of the Residential College in Arts and Humanities (2007).
Awards include the Thomas Ehrlich National Faculty Award for teaching and scholarship that promote
civic engagement, Lifetime Achievement citation from Michigan Campus Compact in 2006, and was
appointed University Outreach and Engagement Senior Fellow in 2008 at MSU. Worked with
numerous operating foundations, including the Charles Kettering Foundation (Dayton, Ohio).
Authored several books and photo essays including Learning in the Plural and “Morro Bay By
Threes”. Named Professor Emeritus in 2011, Cooper moved back to the Central Coast with his wife
Christina and dogs Kula and Kai.
Harry Thorpe
Has a B.S. in mathematics from Penn State and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He served as
an officer in the US Army and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Spent over 40 years in information
systems and services organizations. He spent over 15 years in business information systems for
companies such as AT&T, GAF Corporation and Pertec Computer Corporation. He has served on a
number of boards of directors. He sold his company, International Management Systems (a provider
of computer staffing and consulting services) and retired in 2009 and 25 years with IMS.
Cathy Shusta
From Southern California and her primary career was in property management. She has worked both
as a consultant and hands on as project manager for numerous multi-family properties and shopping
centers. She has served as a seasonal ranger for the forest service. Began her volunteer career in
1998 and has since spent her time teaching/tutoring/ministering to children, ages 4-18, for a variety of
non-profit organizations. She moved to Santa Maria in 2012 and began volunteering with Central
Coast Audubon, Morro Bay Bird Festival, Morro Bay Natural History Association, and Piedras
Blancas Light Station.
James Boucher
Born in San Luis Obispo, California. Moved north to the Folsom/Fair Oaks area just prior to attending
elementary school. Received an A.S. degree in Biology from Sierra College and a B.S. degree in
Natural Resource Conservation from Sacramento State. Self-employed for approximately 10 years
after graduating from college. Later employed by the Department of the Interior, National Park
Service (NPS) in Yosemite, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon, primarily in
the areas of facility management and visitor services. Selected as Park Manager at Piedras Blancas
Light Station with the Bureau of Land Management in 2006.
Carole Adams
Born in Iowa and grew up in Southern California. Moved to Cambria 30 years ago with her husband
Phil and found “home.” A self-professed dabbler, Carole still doesn’t know what she wants to be when
she grows up. A bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a teaching credential, and a library credential did
little to prepare her for her passion for marine mammals. Volunteering at Piedras Blancas Light
Station since 2002 has been a wonderful opportunity to keep on learning. Working with the PBLS
volunteers and staff has been a joyful growth experience.
Holly Gant
A native San Diegan who moved to San Simeon in 2010. She received a B.S. degree from San Diego
State University in Recreation Administration and outdoor education. Spent 3 years at Torrey Pines
State Reserve then obtained her private pilot’s license and an A.S. degree in airport operations.
Decided she preferred being in the trees rather than flying over them. Worked as a park ranger for the
County of San Diego for 8 years and held an arborist certification. Has been a volunteer at PBLS
since 2010.