BSC MEMBERS DIGEST
September 8, 2025
New Professional Staff Member
We have a new addition joining the BSC team! Jason Jacobson is the new Rochdale/Fenwick Maintenance Technician reporting to Rochdale/Fenwick Facility Manager, Raina Turner. His official start date as a full-time employee is Tuesday, September 2.
Jason is an actual native of the Bay Area. He was born in Walnut Creek and grew up in Antioch, California. He went to Deer Valley High in Antioch until he transferred to Tahoe High his senior year in Lake Tahoe and went to Tahoe Community College after graduating from Tahoe High. He started his maintenance career working alongside his dad in painting and drywall. Jason worked for various restoration companies continuing with painting and drywall while acquiring additional skills in carpentry, minor electrical work and plumbing. In his spare time, Jason likes to spend time with family, especially his son, enjoys singing and performing, giving back to the community by volunteering, and attending bible study and church.
Stop by Rochdale/Fenwick to say hello and welcome Jason to the team. We should all take time out for a visit to Rochdale/Fenwick to remind that team that they are part of the BSC team!
New Endowed Scholarships Awarded
WRITTEN BY DAVID APPELBAUM (Development Director)
This week we were able to give out additional scholarships thanks to the generosity of former Coop-ers and their heirs/friends who endowed us with funds in their memory to benefit members. It's very exciting and gratifying to see this program reinvigorated after such a long period of time. The two funds - The Friends of Rodney Ferguson, and The Victor Garlin Memorial Scholarship gave out a total of $5,000.00 this term to 5 students in recognition of their support, intent, and actions that aligned with the Scholarships' goals. We're very excited to have this additional funding vehicle at our disposal and look forward to expanding it over the coming years. Here's some additional information on the Scholarships:
Friends of Rodney Ferguson
December 15, 1960 - April 8, 2021
Rodney graduated in 1986 from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in Philosophy. He was active and passionate about the Berkeley Student Cooperative. In addition to serving as president in 1984, he was a mentor to many and friend to all. Rodney had a passion for helping adults achieve literacy, which he evidenced through a 20-year career at LEAP (Literacy for Every Adult Project), and helping teens and young adults achieve their GED. Rodney's philosophical approach was eclectic, but fundamentally centered on peace, harmony and happiness. While being a creative thinker, above all, Rodney will be remembered for his humor, laughter and ability to lift the spirits of all those whose lives he touched.
Victor Garlin Memorial Scholarship
Victor Garlin came to Cal in the fall of 1952 when he was 16 years old. He lived in Oxford Hall during college and also while earning his PhD in Economics. Raised by a single mom in New York, Vic credited the Berkeley BSC with making it economically feasible for him to attend college. It was not until he was awarded a Teaching Assistantship in 1957 that he was on firm financial footing. Recognizing the student co-op’s role in his college life, Garlin became a long-serving member of the board of directors of the BSC Alumni Association.
During all his years of involvement with the BSC, Vic was a robust presence and lively conversationalist who enjoyed sharing stories about what life at Cal was like in the 50s. As a retired professor of radical economics, he also provided commentary on social issues and society at large. The Victor Garlin Memorial Scholarship was established by his family and friends after he died in 2023. The goal of the scholarship is to provide financial support and encouragement to a young person striving to overcome discouraging financial circumstances. It is awarded to an undergrad whose interests and scholarship resonate with how we remember Vic.
Please join me in congratulating both recipients and donors!
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