History
Conservation Unlimited Alumni Association History
By founding member Dick Laursen (August 13, 1995)
The idea of a CU Alumni Association actually started for me in about 1958 or 1959 when I started attending the Western Section - TWS conferences. Several ofus Humboldters would have lunch together and each would put $5 or $10 in a hat for a scholarship. We would give it to a Prof at HSU (usually Ridenhour) to be awarded to some worthy student in one of the NR programs. Of course, the money would be all gone until the hat got passed the next year.
My wife, Carol, told me about her mother who was the Loan Officer for a Faculty Wives club at Cal Poly in SLO who gave interest free loans and therefore had the money returned for future use. I mentioned this interest free loan idea to the group in 1966 and we decided to do it instead of the scholarship. I was asked to be President and get the thing started. I drew up some Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation which I took over to the Secretary of State's Office to establish a non-profit status. I was now in Sacramento which made this fairly easy.
I started contacting Humboldters in the Sacramento area and at the next Western Section -TWS meeting and we were off and running. The Charter year was 1967 and it was extended to include 1968 so we could get details straightened out. At the beginning of this time I remember writing a letter to Jim Yoakum saying how great it would be ifwe could raise $500. We wound up with 143 Charter members, and at $10 each this was $1,430.00!
That was the start. Some of you have called me the 'founder'. I appreciate that thought and I may have put a little more time into this than others, but there was an active core group of 10 or 12 that made suggestions, reviewed Bylaws, contacted other Humboldters, etc. Some of the names that come to mind are: Jim Yaokum, Joe Harn, Francis Jacot (deceased), Felix Smith, Dr. Rich Ridenhour, Dr. Chuck Yocom (deceased) and others. So I was not alone.
Next, a bank account was set up and because checks were being given or sent to me, I did double duty as President and Treasurer those two Charter years. In 1969, we were more organized and had a new President, Earl Lauppe, who was with Dept. of Fish and Game. He asked me to continue with the Treasurer job and I continued this for the next 33 years, turning it over to Brian Barton in 2002 along with all the CUAA archives.
We wanted to do the whole job ourselves and Rich Ridenhour, then a faculty member, graciously agreed to be the Loan Officer. He processed applications for these small loans ($300 maximum) and did the collecting for the next 10 years. A few students left without repaying their loans and we had no way to force a payment, so Rich arranged for the HSU Financial Aid Office to handle our loans. This has been a wonderful relationship. The Financial Aid Office has clout in that no grades, no transcripts, no diploma is given until the debt is paid. This is what is called a
'hammer'!
During the past 15 years or so, loans during the school year have amounted to $10,000 to $15,000 during each school year, Over the past 38 years, CUAA has given approximately $3,000 to $4,000 to the NR department for purchase of computer stations, spotting scopes, binoculars, etc. I congratulate all of you who have been part of the CU Alumni Association You can be proud of the benefits you have provided to students who were in a pinch for money to get them past some emergency. And getting them past their emergency has proved to be a substantial boost to the conservation movement that we are all so dedicated in seeing move forward.
By founding member Dick Laursen (August 13, 1995)
The idea of a CU Alumni Association actually started for me in about 1958 or 1959 when I started attending the Western Section - TWS conferences. Several ofus Humboldters would have lunch together and each would put $5 or $10 in a hat for a scholarship. We would give it to a Prof at HSU (usually Ridenhour) to be awarded to some worthy student in one of the NR programs. Of course, the money would be all gone until the hat got passed the next year.
My wife, Carol, told me about her mother who was the Loan Officer for a Faculty Wives club at Cal Poly in SLO who gave interest free loans and therefore had the money returned for future use. I mentioned this interest free loan idea to the group in 1966 and we decided to do it instead of the scholarship. I was asked to be President and get the thing started. I drew up some Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation which I took over to the Secretary of State's Office to establish a non-profit status. I was now in Sacramento which made this fairly easy.
I started contacting Humboldters in the Sacramento area and at the next Western Section -TWS meeting and we were off and running. The Charter year was 1967 and it was extended to include 1968 so we could get details straightened out. At the beginning of this time I remember writing a letter to Jim Yoakum saying how great it would be ifwe could raise $500. We wound up with 143 Charter members, and at $10 each this was $1,430.00!
That was the start. Some of you have called me the 'founder'. I appreciate that thought and I may have put a little more time into this than others, but there was an active core group of 10 or 12 that made suggestions, reviewed Bylaws, contacted other Humboldters, etc. Some of the names that come to mind are: Jim Yaokum, Joe Harn, Francis Jacot (deceased), Felix Smith, Dr. Rich Ridenhour, Dr. Chuck Yocom (deceased) and others. So I was not alone.
Next, a bank account was set up and because checks were being given or sent to me, I did double duty as President and Treasurer those two Charter years. In 1969, we were more organized and had a new President, Earl Lauppe, who was with Dept. of Fish and Game. He asked me to continue with the Treasurer job and I continued this for the next 33 years, turning it over to Brian Barton in 2002 along with all the CUAA archives.
We wanted to do the whole job ourselves and Rich Ridenhour, then a faculty member, graciously agreed to be the Loan Officer. He processed applications for these small loans ($300 maximum) and did the collecting for the next 10 years. A few students left without repaying their loans and we had no way to force a payment, so Rich arranged for the HSU Financial Aid Office to handle our loans. This has been a wonderful relationship. The Financial Aid Office has clout in that no grades, no transcripts, no diploma is given until the debt is paid. This is what is called a
'hammer'!
During the past 15 years or so, loans during the school year have amounted to $10,000 to $15,000 during each school year, Over the past 38 years, CUAA has given approximately $3,000 to $4,000 to the NR department for purchase of computer stations, spotting scopes, binoculars, etc. I congratulate all of you who have been part of the CU Alumni Association You can be proud of the benefits you have provided to students who were in a pinch for money to get them past some emergency. And getting them past their emergency has proved to be a substantial boost to the conservation movement that we are all so dedicated in seeing move forward.
Sadly, Dick passed away in 2023. See his obituary here.