Justice Edward A. Panelli was a founding member of the West Valley-Mission Community College District Board. He played a crucial role in establishing West Valley College by hiring its initial leadership and securing the land where it now stands. His contributions to the Board until 1972 helped shape the educational landscape in Saratoga and the larger community. This visionary effort has paved the way for an institution that provides students with quality education and opportunities.
After serving on the Board for several years, Justice Panelli resigned from his post to serve on the Santa Clara County Superior Court. He quickly rose through the ranks and became an associate justice on the First District Court of Appeals and the presiding justice of the Sixth Appellate District Court of Appeal. In 1985, he was appointed associate justice of the California Supreme Court. After leaving the Supreme Court in 1994, he joined the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS) as a private judge. Justice Panelli attended the public schools of Santa Clara and graduated from Santa Clara High School.
When Randy Fujishin was teaching at West Valley College, there was a joke around campus that more students from his classes got married each year than the entire college put together. Fujishin, who retired two years ago, says there’s definitely some truth to it.
“My classes provided students with the chance to share deeply and care deeply about one another,” Fujishin said, who taught communication studies. “Two to three couples from my 10 communication classes per year would eventually marry and I would receive wedding invitations from them. For years I would attend the weddings, but eventually it came to a point where I would just send a gift or card and wish them well.”
The number of marriages Fujishin helped create is just one example of the impact he had at the college. During his nearly 38 years as a faculty member, Fujishin touched thousands of students’ lives, teaching them the art of communication in all its forms, from interpersonal to public speaking.
Students would come early to his classes and stay afterwards, chatting with other students and also with Fujishin. Tears were shed and hugs shared between students who might never interact outside class. With half of each class time interactive, students learned skills and techniques they could use right away in their day-to-day lives. Along the way, they also made great friends in class. Above all, Fujishin said, “They knew I loved them.”
Less than 1 percent of students in Fujishin’s classes would drop the class, he said. His classes became so popular, in fact, that during his stints as department chair, Fujishin would often assign himself the worst time slots to make sure the classes filled. “This was a calling,” he said. “The students were just a delight.”
Fujishin’s love of West Valley extended beyond the classroom and encompassed everything about the college. His colleagues, Fujishin said, were fabulous. “I loved working with people who placed a higher priority on people rather than product,” he said. “I loved being around teachers. They’re people who like to read, like to travel, who have varied interests. I loved their hearts, how altruistic they were. They weren’t teaching for fame or power. They’re not as focused on productivity in terms of widgets or making sales or going through the ranks.”
And because his father was a gardener, Fujishin also understood the college couldn’t run smoothly without the behind-the-scenes employees; he’d sometimes stop by to have lunch with the maintenance crew and others working in the back room. Other times at lunch, Fujishin brought a beach chair and sat down near the creek – just 50 yards from the cafeteria, but “it felt like being in the middle of Montana,” he said.
“It’s a magical college,” Fujishin said. “You’re placed in Saratoga at the foot of the Santa Cruz mountains, away from the hustle and bustle. The energy is different. It’s like a state park.”
Simply walking from class to class, “there’s a soothing of the soul that takes place, not just for students but faculty as well,” Fujishin said. For one-on-one meetings, Fujishin often suggested walking through campus while talking, taking a moment to look up at the mountains nearby. “The environment there played a big role in the culture of the campus,” he said.
These days, Fujishin spends his time consulting with churches and pastors, speaking at conferences, writing books and riding motorcycles. Still, he is deeply connected to his time at West Valley College, mentoring dozens of former students who have gone on to teaching careers for themselves. He also meets with about 10 local pastors – all former students – either weekly or monthly.
“It was a glorious career,” Fujishin said. “Every day was a preview to heaven.”
For Napoleon Mendes daCosta, West Valley College not only provided a solid education, but also the opportunity to build a career and flourish as a union leader.
DaCosta, who retired in December 2013, first began his connection to WVC in 1964 when he began as a student at the college’s original location in Campbell. When West Valley moved to its current location, Mendes daCosta was among the first students to attend classes there. A psychology major, he also was one of the young college’s first student body presidents.
But Mendes daCosta’s education was cut short when he enlisted in the Army and then made a career out of the military until 1980. After leaving the Army, he eventually returned to California and decided to once again study at West Valley College.
“I was living in San Antonio before I actually came back to West Valley, but I visited my parents back here and I did come and visit the campus,” Mendes daCosta said. “I was really impressed with it. I thought, ‘I’m going to start here again.’ It was like a renewal, a starting-over.”
Not long after starting his studies again, Mendes daCosta was working at the college in the college district’s warehouse. While his actual duties and assignments shifted over the years, Mendes daCosta focused primarily on working as a warehouse clerk, checking purchase orders, carrying mail to various departments and delivering packages.
His dedication to the college, however, extended beyond his job duties. He also volunteered many hours with the classified staff union, initially SEIU as it was phased out and then with the West Valley-Mission Classified Employees Association. In fact, because of Mendes daCosta’s commitment to his fellow union employees he put off retiring for several years, first serving two years as president of WVMCEA and getting the new union solidly in place. For him, it was a way of ensuring WVC is the best place possible to work and a way to give back to other employees.
That’s because it was the people at West Valley College, Mendes daCosta said, that kept him at the college for so long. He wasn’t interested in big money or anything like that; he simply enjoyed working with other staff at WVC. “There was a lot of caring between people,” he said.
“I think I was there for a reason,” Mendes daCosta said. “Coming back to West Valley, there must have been a reason.” Having the opportunity to help with the union, he said, was one of the big reasons.
That certainly wasn’t on Mendes daCosta’s mind when he first enrolled at West Valley College. In fact, his connection to the college started simply because his family was committed to education – his father had been a teacher in Indonesia – but there was no money to send him to a four-year university. His mother suggested he try a community college. It’s a refrain that still rings true today.
“The cost of education is becoming increasingly higher,” Mendes daCosta said. “Community colleges are important, they’re places where the teachers can spend a little more time in teaching students what’s expected. Community colleges really help people to set themselves up, to prepare themselves for something bigger.”
West Valley College did precisely that for Mendes daCosta, as a student, employee and champion union leader. “I’m grateful that was I very well blessed with a good life,” he said.
Bill Cilker’s roots run deep in the Valley of the Heart’s Delight.
He and his late wife, Lee, have had an impact throughout the South Bay for decades, growing prunes, apricots and more in their orchards, developing some of their agricultural lands and serving key roles in establishing such organizations as Second Harvest Food Bank. Today, their impact can be seen in the strength of Cilker Orchards, founded in 1965 as a family agricultural company and now the owner and manager of commercial, multifamily and agricultural properties.
And at West Valley College, Bill Cilker played a key role in the college’s growth through his service as one of the early trustees of the college district board. In addition, a recent donation will go toward WHAT.
The Cilkers’ commitment to the local community began decades ago.
Born into a family with deep farming roots, Bill Cilker grew up picking prunes and cutting apricots. He paid his way through Stanford University, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in mechanical engineering before heading to Detroit. There he was part of the Chrysler Institute, designing equipment for World War II while also earning an advanced engineering degree.
When he returned to California, Cilker married Lee, whom he’d met at Stanford, and the two had the opportunity to purchase an orchard on Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos. The young couple settled on the property, making it their first home as they raised four children and managed the orchard. They continued to buy agricultural properties in the area and, eventually, in the Central Valley.
Throughout, Cilker worked at FMC Corporation. When the project he was working on was cancelled, Cilker decided to focus on the orchards fulltime. “One day I was wearing a suit, the next day I was in jeans driving a tractor,” he said.
As Cilker Orchards grew, the company sold some of its orchards, including one that was developed into the original Kaiser Santa Clara. Samaritan Medical Center also was built on family property.
Throughout, Cilker was active in the community, including serving on the founding board of the Second Harvest Food Bank. When his children were in elementary school, Cilker was involved with the PTA and later served as a trustee for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District during the time the college district was formed. He soon was elected to that board, helping shape West Valley College in its early years.
His dedication to West Valley College didn’t end there. By starting a scholarship program at the college in conjunction with other local farmers, Cilker helped begin what would eventually become the West Valley College Foundation.
For Cilker, the involvement with WVC was a reflection of the emphasis on education he’d grown up with. West Valley College, he said, provides a wide range of students with a cost-effective way of obtaining a quality education. He recalled the opportunity he and his wife had to get to know WVC students. As part of that, the Cilkers met a very bright woman who’d had a family and then decided to go back to college by attending West Valley College.
“It was so interesting to see her in her 30s and younger students. My wife was really touched by that,” Cilker said. “West Valley College provides opportunities for all types of students. We were happy to be able to help out.”
It was during a National Science Foundation summer fellowship program at Stanford University that Melvin “Mel” Tuscher learned of an exciting opportunity to teach math at the newly founded West Valley College. In 1964, Mel became one of the first two math faculty members at West Valley College. He then dedicated nearly three decades to West Valley College and its students. Mel’s 29-year tenure at West Valley College includes service in several positions, including science and math division chair, dean of instruction, and college president from 1976 to 1981. When Mel reflects upon his time at West Valley College, he most remembers the excitement of the first year of founding the College and fondly recalls the camaraderie among the founders despite the challenges and hard work associated with building something new. A former United States Marine and high school math Instructor, Mel holds a Master’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Southern California.
Richard “Dick” Schwendinger has strong roots within the West Valley-Mission Community College District, commencing with his 22-year tenure as a founding faculty member and coach at West Valley College. As the architect behind the College’s soccer program, he dedicated 18 years as a passionate coach, elevating the team to new heights. Simultaneously, his role as the golf coach produced Northern California Championship title wins and seven league titles over eight seasons. Schwendinger established a youth camp called Two Rivers Soccer Camp, based in Graeagle in the Sierra Nevada. The camp has hosted more than 60,000 campers since its start in 1974. In 1971, Schwendinger started the first youth soccer league in Saratoga. The city of Saratoga named Schwendinger as Citizen of the Year in 1971. Beyond the field, Schwendinger served as the respected broadcast voice of the San Jose Earthquakes. The “Dick Schwendinger Field” at West Valley College, was named in honor of Schwendinger for his dedication and contribution to the sport of soccer.
Dr. Bradley Davis has more than 25 years of experience in higher education leadership. He is currently in his fifth year as Chancellor of the West Valley-Mission Community College District and is the longest-tenured President in West Valley College history. His leadership has been instrumental in removing barriers for students, having waived parking, health services, and childcare costs for students at the two colleges. Davis also recently championed a pilot program to waive all tuition and enrollment fees for District residents. During his tenure at West Valley College, the institution established a nationally recognized Veterans Resource Center, providing counseling and financial assistance for veteran students. The College also pioneered the first on-campus mobile food pantry and SafePark overnight parking program in the state and earned national recognition as the first community college in the country to be certified “Age-Friendly” by the Age-Friendly University Network.
Dr. Lydia Gloria Harris, an esteemed educator and advocate, joined the West Valley-Mission Community College District in 1976. She began her career in the Early Childhood Education Department, designing and developing the programs at West Valley College and Mission College. Other duties included serving as vice president and president of the Academic Senate, co-president of the district academic senate, district staff development director, grievance officer, chair and team leader of accreditation teams, and chair of numerous other committees, including the WVC Curriculum Committee, hiring committees, and Program Review teams. She was also honored as Teacher of the Year three times. At the same time, Dr. Harris earned another master’s degree and a JD. After retirement, Dr. Harris became an associate faculty member and represented the Faculty on ACE. She co-founded the West Valley-Mission Association for Retired Employees. Dr. Harris is currently a member of the Child Abuse Council of Santa Clara County and was on the Santa Clara County Grand Jury.
Saratoga Council Member Kookie Fitzsimmons was elected to office in 2020 and served as Saratoga mayor in 2022-2023. Kookie is the first mayor to be born and raised in Saratoga.
Prior to her election, she served on the Saratoga Planning Commission for over six years and continues to be a community leader with over 30 years of volunteer service in Saratoga.
Kookie’s current profession is in clinical research where she has had several leadership roles in the field for over 15 years. Previously, she was a small business owner in Saratoga Village. She is known for her civic involvement, deep commitment to serving Saratoga, her integrity, fairness, enthusiasm, and courage to speak out as the minority voice on controversial issues. Her service to the community includes but is not limited to serving on the Saratoga Rotary and being a member of the Saratoga Business Development Council-Charter.
Kookie is a lifelong Saratogan and three generations of her family have called Saratoga home.
Community Service: (partial list)
Saratoga Rotary (24 years), Saratoga Business Development Council-Charter Member, President Saratoga Village Merchants Association, Chair Blossom Festival, Chair Saratoga Village Halloween Costume Walk, Highway 9 Clean-up Project, Stop Hunger Now.
Professional:
Leadership roles in clinical research for over 15 years. Demonstrated proficiency with budgets, personnel, and regulatory requirements involving multiple stakeholders. Selected for competitive leadership development; received multiple commendations for outstanding contributions in improving efficiencies; and acknowledged for innovative ideas that contribute to improvements in clinical trials.