Learn more about their time at Cal — as student-athletes, scholars, and professionals — and how they’ve continued to give back. From volunteering with the Cal Alumni Club of Washington, DC, to mentoring Cal in the Capital students and supporting various departments, they’ve remained dedicated to preserving Cal’s excellence for future generations.
How does Cal fit into your life story?
Kathy's love affair with Cal began after she first saw the Campanile shining brightly from the bus to Cal from the Oakland Airport. She remembers yelling, "There it is!" She played volleyball at Cal for 3 years until a car accident sidelined her for a 4th year. She majored in CNR and was just a couple of courses shy of a minor in Native American Studies. Kathy went on to a storied public school teaching career where she garnered a Teacher of the Year award twice. Over her career, she taught preschool through college, mainly science and math. One of the highlights was teaching a college course called "English as a Foreign Language" for NATO personnel family members while stationed in Naples, Italy.
Guy ('73) swam for 4 years at Cal after being offered a scholarship by Peter Cutino at the Olympic Trials in 1968. As a senior, he was "Secretary/Treasurer" of the Big C Society. He is fond of telling people his Cal Love Story — how he "stalked" Kathy for two years until she fell in love with him at a party in the Berkeley Hills. It worked! He majored in Criminology and went on to a fascinating career in federal law enforcement and the Protective Service of the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in Europe.
Guy and Kathy are enjoying the retired life, spending 1/2 the year in the warmth of Key West. They stay attached to Cal by volunteering for their local Cal Alumni Club of Washington, DC, where Kathy was a former president. They mentor Cal in the Capital students and give back to various departments, helping to preserve the greatness that is Cal for future generations. When not volunteering, they spend as much time with their grandkids as possible, making sure each grandchild knows all of the Cal cheers starting with "Gimme a C!"
What is your favorite Cal memory?
One of their favorite Cal memories was when the Cal student section used enormous slingshots one year (’72?) to sling oranges and apples at the Stanford band during the Big Game's halftime. Two years later, Stanford came prepared. When the Cal students started slinging oranges and apples at the band, the band whipped out lacrosse sticks hidden in their uniforms and zipped them back. Needless to say, a fun free-for-all erupted, and that was the last time we could bring food into the stadium.
Do you have any advice for current students?
Work hard. Study hard. Take advantage of the plethora of life opportunities offered at Cal and go out of your way to seek out the diversity of people and opportunities found there.
What Makes Cal Unique:
The diversity of the student body, the beauty of the campus, and the fact that you'll find some of the most interesting people you'll ever meet in your life there. Make sure to watch a sunset from LHS as it sinks over the GG Bridge. Take advantage of the ability to take classes from the many Nobel Laureates. (In Kathy's Chem 1A class, Glenn T. Seaborg walked in to teach it one day.) And make sure to wander the halls of Dwinelle at least once before you graduate!
Guy and Kathy Molina, 1972, photo credit, the Molina family
Guy Molina, swimming in Spieker Pool at UC Berkeley 1972 - note Coach Pete Cutino in background! Photo credit: Kathy Molina