Partner With Us!

Get Involved

ALUMNI STORIES: CHERYL HAYMAN

CHERYL HAYMAN

When did you/your family come to California and why?

My parents eloped and came from Rhode Island to San Francisco in 1951 I was born a year later. My dad was Scottish/Irish/English Episcopal and my mom was Italian Catholic; both families were against the marriage, so they came to here to be near my aunt, my dad's sister, whose husband was a State Park Ranger and was made an Honorary Park Ranger, with a Memorial Plaque at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. My dad was a Brown Univ. grad and a quarterback on the football team, and a WW2 Army Air Corps B-25 pilot. My mom was an aspiring actress and in the 50's early 60's was involved with an acting workshop in SF with Jules Irving.

What did you do before coming to Fullerton College?

I grew up in SF and nearby Brisbane in the 50's and 60's, and was right in the thick of the hippie movement and the Summer of Love. But I was a Christian Hippie, involved in the Jesus Movement. After a year working in SF's financial district at an insurance company right out of high school, in 1970 I moved to Orange County and there lived in a series of Christian Communes, and moved to Fullerton to attend FC.

When were you at FC? What were the principal concerns, activities, and events in which you were involved?

I was at FC from summer of 1971 through the fall of 1975, the first time, only going part time as I was supporting myself as well, mainly as an art major but took a number of science classes as well. I was a part of Don Treadway's class that made the big free form plaster sculpture/children's play structure that ended up on the quad after a monumental feat of moving it by crane. Quite a spectacle! I remember working on that thing rain or shine. All of us crawling over the piece with wet plaster, chicken wire and fiber. in the rain. what a comedy of errors it was too but a wonderful experience. I wish someone had thought to document the process; we were all dismayed when someone painted the whole thing with crazy patterns of fluorescent paint( and I later found out it was the guy I was giving rides home to...grrrrr... how's that for gratitude?) I was also very active with swimming, being certified for lifeguarding, playing Frisbee (LOL my major, before I declared one!) I worked in the library in the Audio Visual Dept., duplicating tapes, shooting and developing microfilm, art slides, and cleaning and repairing 16 mm films, and a number of other tasks. I worked there for 3 yrs. with Ed Huffman. it was a great job and I enjoyed it and learned a lot! He was one of the cinematographers for the old black and white TV series, Ripcord, jumping out of airplanes and filming the jumps.

I was active also with a Christian club on campus. The early 70's was a great time to be in college and I had a blast. I was seriously into life drawing/sculpting/ceramics and put together a pretty good photo portfolio, thanks to Don Treadway and others who helped that got me into CSULB into their figurative sculpture program.

Who were some of the most memorable people you met then at the college?

I have to say Ray Bradbury, Joseph Heller(of Catch 22 fame), Candice Bergin, Jane Fonda, I believe, and artist in residence, Jose Cuevas,( I was lucky to be one of several art students asked to go out to lunch with him and he signed and drew in my Bible in ink; I have kept it all these years!

Also when Joseph Heller came I was an Oral Interpretation student in Mr. Archambeault's class and was handpicked by him with several others to do an impromptu reading of a scene from Catch 22 up on stage with him! I felt pretty honored to be asked to do that. I also remember a student, Sal Fondicaro, who was a wonderful talent in singing, etc. and was a little person, very popular and friendly with everyone. He made a big splash for someone so small.

What have you done since leaving the college?

After leaving FC I went on to Long Beach State where I pursued figurative sculpture for only a short time, as I married and was asked by our church to help plant a new one in Omaha, Nebraska, where my husband also attended grad school. I had a number of full time jobs, but never finished school, unfortunately.

We reared 3 sons who are grown now and in or finishing grad school; each one of them doing amazingly well, for which I am thankful. While raising a family we were full time in our church and my husband in campus ministry. We had our own school and I was able to help a lot with the art classes there so that was good.

Exactly 30 years to the month I went back to FC to pick up where I left off with sculpting in Michele Van Ry's figurative sculpture and bronze casting classes, she was an amazing inspiration and friend, and I attended there for several more years. 5 yrs. ago my husband and I relocated to Iowa and I have been doing some ceramics and sculpture ever since then.

I have work posted on Facebook and www.cherylhayman.com

What advice do you have for our current students?

My advice to the current students of FC would be to really go for it in school while you can, and leave no stone unturned in finding out what it is you love to do and want to do for your life's work. Don't worry about not knowing right off the bat what that might be; take classes and explore things outside your comfort zone. I did that and that is how I stumbled upon my love of figurative sculpting/ceramics and 3-D work in general.

Also, keep in mind that being young and possibly without a lot of other commitments (I realize not all are single; some are married and with children) right now is that you are never going to be as young, healthy, energetic and able to give your all to your studies and your passions as you are now; build a good foundation in your schooling here at FC. Take full advantage of the training, the professors, the fellow students around you and all the activities you can possibly be involved in that time allows and just saturate yourself with this time in your life.... you may look back upon these years as the best in your life; I know I have.

And for you other students that may be adults returning to college, you do the same... that is what I did to the best of my abilities... a life-long learner is usually a happier and more fulfilled person and you have the chance to be a mentor of sorts to some of your younger classmates.. It is all so very wonderful if you give yourself to the experience as much as possible, and have a great love and care for people!

What should be the college vision for the future, or what ideas should we incorporate in that vision?

As the times change, as things are so very different now than they were back in the 70's; the educational/vocational needs changes and grows with the evolution of the world around us... be it in business, manufacturing, technology, education, social and political issues, and on and on. FC needs to always keep its finger on the pulse of the world around it and change and evolve to accommodate those educational needs, in order to remain relevant in the real world.

A perfect example is how startling technology has grown to influence just about every area of our lives... head spinning, really when you think about it! From art to science medicine to agriculture, photography and so many other areas of study, the sky is really the limit these days! It was startling for me to come back to FC after so many years and see everyone pulling rolling backpacks and speaking on cell phones, and using computers in almost every class.... very different picture from the Frisbee throwing, anti-war demonstrating, long dresses/ long hair ones of my generation!

Keep things fresh by continuing with quality visiting artist/lecturer series.

Re-examine and come up with some new goals and a vision for these next hundred years.

I shall always have wonderful fond memories of Fullerton College and the many friends I made there, both students and faculty alike! Thank you for a wonderful priceless education on so many levels... Peace.