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LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
San Luis Obispo County, CA November 2, 2004 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Vernon A. "Vern" Kalshan

Candidate for
Director; Cambria Community Services District

This information is provided by the candidate

My wife, Louise, who is also running for director, and I have lived here for 15 years. I am serving the District as a Commissioner on the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission and as a Director on the Cambria Forest Committee.

I attended Leo High School on the South side of Chicago; and, during those years, I was active in the Exporer Scouts and the Civil Air Patrol. My high school activities included the Glee Club, the Drama Club, and the Swimming Team. After graduation I received a Dramatic Scholarship to John Carrol University in Ohio and a Naval Reserver Officers Training Corps Scholarship to the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. During my years at the Institute of Technology, I was a resident member and vice-President of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity and served as the sports editor of the campus newspaper.
Before graduating, I was able to work as a salesman for the Joseph T. Ryerson Steel Wharehouse corporation which was a subsidiary of the Inland Steel Corporation. My territory was the western half of the midwest.
After receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Metallurgical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics, I attended Submarine School in New London Connecticut. My first assignment was the USS Menhaden SS-377 which was home ported in San Diego. I served as Electronics officer, Sonar Officer, Assistant Engineering Officer, Assistant Weapons Officer, and Supply Officer. While the submarine was in overhaul at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, I met my wife Louise on a blind date.
I later transferred to the ammunition ship USS Rainer which was home ported at Port Chicago in the San Francisco Bay area. We went to Vietnam waters twice between 1965 and 1967. I served as Electronics Officer and Combat Infromation Center Officer.
In my four years active duty, I "steamed" over 100,000 miles and I was Officer of the Deck one-fourth of those miles.
After active duty we lived in San Francisco; and, thanks to the GI Bill, I was able to graduate from University of California, Hastings College of the Law with a Juris Doctorate.
At that time, it was said that there were more lawyers per square foot in San Francisco than in any other city, so we went to my wife's home town of Bakersfield where I was hired as a Deputy County Clerk of Kern County. After I was admitted to the State Bar, I became a Deputy District Attoney of Kern County. There were only 33,000 lawyers in the State at that time.
I later went into private practice with Alan McFarland and Jere Sullivan, Sr. Jerold Turner later joined the firm and he is now a Kern County Superior Court Judge.
My sole practitioner office was opened in 1981 and is still working today.
A continuing ready reserve agreement to serve at the pleasure of the President was kept effective until my retirement in 1983.
While in Bakersfield, I was an American Youth Soccer Organization coach and referee. I was also a referee for CIF high school soccer and a Federal International Football Assocaition referee for adult soccer leagues.
My active community service has been with the American Legion as Commander, Vice-Commander, Chaplain, and Treasurer. I have assisted CARES, the Santa Rosa Chapel and Cemetery Committee, and the Pewter Plough Playhouse corporation.
Some of my environmental work has been a successful appeal to the Coastal Commission to prevent a multi-phase development of the Mid-State Bank meadow and representation of the Cambria Legal Defense Fund in successfully opposing the condominium project next to the Cambria Village Square.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: November 2, 2004 18:47
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