2008 Woodie Awards
Coming Home Again: Students Return to Teach
Final in a three-part series reflecting Valley College's history.
LaGina Phillips, Tiffany Farmakis
Issue date: 10/27/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
What do an eccentric pilot, a German photographer and a world traveler have in common? Besides the fact that they have all been Valley College instructors for more than three decades, they are all former Valley students.
Richard Raskoff has been an earth science professor at Valley for 41 years, but his history with the college didn't begin there.
"As a student I started in fall '56 or '58, when there was no tuition and books were only $6," said Raskoff, remembering what Valley was like when he was a student. "I was a member of a fraternity - we had fraternities and sororities!"
Raskoff reached over and drew his fraternity's symbol.
"I was with Kappa Psy," he continued. "We had the head makeup artist for Star Trek, Mark Trunk make us up for the Spring Sing," he said, explaining that the Spring Sing was a sing-off the fraternities and sororities competed in. "It was great."
Following Valley, Raskoff went to UCLA where he majored in geology, but after only two years he decided to transfer to Northridge and switch majors.
Shortly thereafter, he was approached by two of his mentors from Valley and asked to consider obtaining his master's degree so he could start teaching at the school.
In the fall '63, Raskoff's teaching career took off.
In 1965, he became advisor to the flying club. "I got my license in '67 and I was the adviser 'till '72," he said. "We flew to Catalina, Lake Isabella and San Francisco. I have over 4,000 hours flying."
Though Raskoff doesn't fly his students anymore, he does still take them on field trips.
"Five years ago, we took a field trip to shark cages. We almost got busted; I didn't know one my students was a Valley Star reporter. She brought a photographer with her and later that week the photo was on the front page of the paper and the headline read 'Valley Students Swim With Sharks'!"
Although Raskoff has been teaching for more than four decades, his momentum in the classroom remains the same as it was his first day.
Raskoff attributes his high energy to focusing on what he wants to do. "Some instructors try to do too much and they get burned out. It takes a toll on your body."
Raskoff, whose wife, Sally, is also an instructor at Valley, also likes to keep things interesting in the classroom.
"I love demonstrations," he said. "I have an 8-foot tall tornado machine. I like to demonstrate to students how weather is involved in flying."
Also for some tests, he'll send his students on scavenger hunts for fun. "I'll place notes on bulletin boards all over campus and they have to collect them," Raskoff said.
Raskoff has taught more than 25,000 students at Valley and he doesn't plan on leaving the classroom anytime soon.
"I'll keep teaching until I feel I can't give 110 percent," he said. "As long as the students still get excited, I'll be here."
Wilhem Bleckmann started teaching at Valley in spring 1968 as a photography instructor. Like Raskoff, he started out as a student.
"While at Valley, I worked as news editor for the Valley Star. I also worked on Crown," said Bleckmann, who was the photo editor of Scepter, one of Valley's magazines, along with Crown.
With English as his second language, Bleckmann started out with only a few courses.
"Because I was studying in a second language, coming here to America in 1965, my first semester I only took nine units, heavy on journalism and photography," he said.
"I stayed at Valley College for two and a half years," he continued. "My major at this particular time was English and journalism."
From Valley, Bleckmann went onto USC after obtaining a one-semester scholarship.
"I got a one-semester scholarship and then another," Bleckmann said. "I got my bachelor's degree in journalism - not photojournalism, but journalism. I [received scholarships] because of my work at Valley College with the Star, Scepter and Crown."
Bleckmann was asked by Dr. Esther Davis, his mentor and former professor from Valley, to teach at Pepperdine University where
Davis initiated a new journalism program. He started teaching two classes in the fall of '73 and by the spring of '74 he was teaching four classes, while also taking classes to earn his master's degree.
"I was offered a full-time job at PCC," said Bleckmann. "Twenty-four other teachers wanted the job, but I was the only teacher who showed a portfolio."
He was also given the opportunity to teach part-time at Valley by Leo Garapedian, the journalism department chair at the time. He's been teaching at both colleges ever since.
"For thirty-one years I've been teaching these classes," said Bleckmann.
One of Bleckmann's former students is now a White House photographer while another works for the France Press in Paris. "It's rewarding," Bleckmann says of seeing his students move on to bigger things. "I emphasize hard work."
Bleckmann retired from PCC in June but is still teaching one class in addition to his photo class at Valley. He also plans to have a photography exhibit next year.
"I'm going through all my negatives," said Bleckmann. "I'll have three showings with three categories: prominent people, children and action."
He laughs as he remembers that his move to this country was only supposed to be temporary. "When I came over here [to America], I thought I'd check it out and go back home to Germany. America's been good to me."
Roger Graham started off as a high school drop-out before moving to California and becoming a student at Valley.
"I came to Valley College in 1968 for one year and I've been here ever since," the Philadelphia native said. "This is the college of second chances."
Graham worked his way through college doing yard work and selling advertising for the Valley Star.
"I was first the advertising manager of the Valley Star, and I was a photographer and editorial writer," he continued. "I was the sophomore graduating class president and I was president of the journalism and photography clubs."
One of Graham's assignments for the star was to cover a speech Truman was giving at UCLA.
"I interviewed President Truman," he said. "I didn't know I couldn't just go up to him and start asking questions."
However, Roger's tenacity paid off and he got the interview.
Graham went on to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees from CSU Fresno.
Like Bleckmann, Graham's mentor was also Davis. In 1968 Davis left Valley to become the public information officer for the newly established Los Angeles Community College District for one year. It was she who got Graham to teach at Valley.
"Bleckmann was one of my first students," Graham said. "The connection we have is Davis was his teacher, she's the one who started [the journalism] department. She was my teacher."
"There were about six journalism teachers at Valley when I got here," he continued. "They were all USC graduates."
"I'm the only professor here with two professorships - in journalism and photography," said Graham, who also teaches a class on how to write a life story in Westchester at the Emerson Adult School. His class of 22 had their stories published last year in a book titled "We Remember WWII."
Richard Raskoff has been an earth science professor at Valley for 41 years, but his history with the college didn't begin there.
 Media Credit: File Photo THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD - Professor Richard Raskoff performing one of his many demonstrations that make his classes enjoyable for students. |
"As a student I started in fall '56 or '58, when there was no tuition and books were only $6," said Raskoff, remembering what Valley was like when he was a student. "I was a member of a fraternity - we had fraternities and sororities!"
Raskoff reached over and drew his fraternity's symbol.
"I was with Kappa Psy," he continued. "We had the head makeup artist for Star Trek, Mark Trunk make us up for the Spring Sing," he said, explaining that the Spring Sing was a sing-off the fraternities and sororities competed in. "It was great."
Following Valley, Raskoff went to UCLA where he majored in geology, but after only two years he decided to transfer to Northridge and switch majors.
Shortly thereafter, he was approached by two of his mentors from Valley and asked to consider obtaining his master's degree so he could start teaching at the school.
In the fall '63, Raskoff's teaching career took off.
In 1965, he became advisor to the flying club. "I got my license in '67 and I was the adviser 'till '72," he said. "We flew to Catalina, Lake Isabella and San Francisco. I have over 4,000 hours flying."
Though Raskoff doesn't fly his students anymore, he does still take them on field trips.
"Five years ago, we took a field trip to shark cages. We almost got busted; I didn't know one my students was a Valley Star reporter. She brought a photographer with her and later that week the photo was on the front page of the paper and the headline read 'Valley Students Swim With Sharks'!"
Although Raskoff has been teaching for more than four decades, his momentum in the classroom remains the same as it was his first day.
Raskoff attributes his high energy to focusing on what he wants to do. "Some instructors try to do too much and they get burned out. It takes a toll on your body."
Raskoff, whose wife, Sally, is also an instructor at Valley, also likes to keep things interesting in the classroom.
"I love demonstrations," he said. "I have an 8-foot tall tornado machine. I like to demonstrate to students how weather is involved in flying."
Also for some tests, he'll send his students on scavenger hunts for fun. "I'll place notes on bulletin boards all over campus and they have to collect them," Raskoff said.
Raskoff has taught more than 25,000 students at Valley and he doesn't plan on leaving the classroom anytime soon.
"I'll keep teaching until I feel I can't give 110 percent," he said. "As long as the students still get excited, I'll be here."
Wilhem Bleckmann started teaching at Valley in spring 1968 as a photography instructor. Like Raskoff, he started out as a student.
"While at Valley, I worked as news editor for the Valley Star. I also worked on Crown," said Bleckmann, who was the photo editor of Scepter, one of Valley's magazines, along with Crown.
With English as his second language, Bleckmann started out with only a few courses.
"Because I was studying in a second language, coming here to America in 1965, my first semester I only took nine units, heavy on journalism and photography," he said.
"I stayed at Valley College for two and a half years," he continued. "My major at this particular time was English and journalism."
From Valley, Bleckmann went onto USC after obtaining a one-semester scholarship.
"I got a one-semester scholarship and then another," Bleckmann said. "I got my bachelor's degree in journalism - not photojournalism, but journalism. I [received scholarships] because of my work at Valley College with the Star, Scepter and Crown."
Bleckmann was asked by Dr. Esther Davis, his mentor and former professor from Valley, to teach at Pepperdine University where
Davis initiated a new journalism program. He started teaching two classes in the fall of '73 and by the spring of '74 he was teaching four classes, while also taking classes to earn his master's degree.
"I was offered a full-time job at PCC," said Bleckmann. "Twenty-four other teachers wanted the job, but I was the only teacher who showed a portfolio."
He was also given the opportunity to teach part-time at Valley by Leo Garapedian, the journalism department chair at the time. He's been teaching at both colleges ever since.
"For thirty-one years I've been teaching these classes," said Bleckmann.
One of Bleckmann's former students is now a White House photographer while another works for the France Press in Paris. "It's rewarding," Bleckmann says of seeing his students move on to bigger things. "I emphasize hard work."
Bleckmann retired from PCC in June but is still teaching one class in addition to his photo class at Valley. He also plans to have a photography exhibit next year.
"I'm going through all my negatives," said Bleckmann. "I'll have three showings with three categories: prominent people, children and action."
He laughs as he remembers that his move to this country was only supposed to be temporary. "When I came over here [to America], I thought I'd check it out and go back home to Germany. America's been good to me."
Roger Graham started off as a high school drop-out before moving to California and becoming a student at Valley.
"I came to Valley College in 1968 for one year and I've been here ever since," the Philadelphia native said. "This is the college of second chances."
 Media Credit: File Photo THEN AND NOW - Then California Governor, Ronald Reagan is presented with a copy of the Valley Star by journalism instructor Roger Graham, adviser of the paper at the time.
|
Graham worked his way through college doing yard work and selling advertising for the Valley Star.
"I was first the advertising manager of the Valley Star, and I was a photographer and editorial writer," he continued. "I was the sophomore graduating class president and I was president of the journalism and photography clubs."
One of Graham's assignments for the star was to cover a speech Truman was giving at UCLA.
"I interviewed President Truman," he said. "I didn't know I couldn't just go up to him and start asking questions."
However, Roger's tenacity paid off and he got the interview.
Graham went on to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees from CSU Fresno.
Like Bleckmann, Graham's mentor was also Davis. In 1968 Davis left Valley to become the public information officer for the newly established Los Angeles Community College District for one year. It was she who got Graham to teach at Valley.
"Bleckmann was one of my first students," Graham said. "The connection we have is Davis was his teacher, she's the one who started [the journalism] department. She was my teacher."
"There were about six journalism teachers at Valley when I got here," he continued. "They were all USC graduates."
"I'm the only professor here with two professorships - in journalism and photography," said Graham, who also teaches a class on how to write a life story in Westchester at the Emerson Adult School. His class of 22 had their stories published last year in a book titled "We Remember WWII."
