SLO LIFE Magazine Dec/Jan 20/21

| BRIEFS
“Next thing I know,
I’m underwater...
It happened so fast.”
Julia McSorley, safely back on land
November 2 after a humpback whale
surfaced underneath the kayak that she
and a companion, Liz Cottriel, were
paddling off the coast of Avila Beach.
Their vessel was overturned, but the two
escaped without injury. The video made
national news.
49
The number of fires in the past ten months
along the Bob Jones Trail and the adjacent
San Luis Creek attributed to unsafe,
unhealthy campsites. Multiple factors,
including the fires and flooding, recently
prompted the City of San Luis Obispo
in partnership with homeless service
providers to begin cleaning up the area,
connecting unsheltered people with local
services and support.
“Runtime”
Computer science isn’t just for super
geniuses according to author, illustrator,
and recent Cal Poly graduate Jasmine Patel,
who wrote this forty-four-page hardcover
children’s book to introduce young readers
to some of the fun and creative elements of
computer science. It was recently published
by Puzzle Piece Publishing and is available
on Amazon.
24 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | DEC/JAN 2021
$70,000
The amount a local couple received
in October from the City of San Luis
Obispo as settlement of a lawsuit filed
over a 2019 incident in which a City
police officer shot and killed Bubbs, their
pit bull-boxer mix who charged at officers
responding to a false-alarm burglary call
at the couple’s home.
“He just flew
a plane on his
100th birthday.
He’s a living
legend.”
Kurtis Moyer, describing his grandfather
and former WWII pilot Harry Moyer
who, on October 30, likely broke a world
record for being the oldest licensed pilot
to complete a solo flight. The elder Moyer,
who has been flying for more than threequarters
of a century, took off from the
SLO County Regional Airport in his 1963
Mooney for a fifteen-minute flight.
LBM
The Adult Services Department of
SLO County Public Libraries offers a
free Library By Mail (LBM) service for
homebound seniors age sixty and over. The
Library will ship books (including large
print formats), audiobooks, and more via
the U.S. Postal Service in special heavyduty
bags with the postage paid both ways.
More information at slolibrary.org.
“He was a true pioneer
and shared a wealth of
history, passion, and
stewardship.”
Cuesta College President Dr. Jill Stearns
on the September 27 death at age 98 of
Dr. Frank R. Martinez, the college’s second
president. Hired in 1964 as the founding
vice president, Martinez developed the
college’s first curriculum, hired its first
faculty, and negotiated the purchase of the
land for the SLO campus. He retired in
1988 after serving eleven years as president.
Perch
A startup created by a Cal Poly alumnus,
two students, and three professors (with help
from the SLO Fire Department) that uses
a system of devices mounted on power lines
to collect data that can detect wildfires and
predict fire risks in California.
“I am honored
to be in this
position and
to be a part of
this great and
experienced
crew.”
Victor J. Glover, a Navy commander and
test pilot who joined the astronaut corps in
2013, as he prepared to be launched into
space November 15 aboard a SpaceX Crew
Dragon capsule. The Cal Poly alumnus is
the first Black astronaut to be living aboard
the International Space Station as part of
its extended crew. SLO LIFE