Candidate for
Board Member; Palomar Community College District

Biography of Richard Borevitz, Candidate for Governing Board of Palomar College Vote Richard Borevitz November 4th.

Richard Borevitz says, "My life has been rewarding, varied, extremely interesting, and thankfully successful." After graduating U C Berkeley in 1963, Richard worked as a Public Health Advisor for the United States Public Health Service and he spent time traveling in South America and working in Bolivia with US AID and the Peace Corp. Richard then traveled around the world for three years working and living in various places. He returned to the United States and worked doing research in Anthropology at the University of California Berkeley. Then I came back to San Diego County and worked with a Community Center in San Diego as their Youth Director. While there, I created a popular farm activity center for teens. In 1968 I became the General Manager for a lobster trap company called Fathoms Plus. In 1970, I moved to Rancho Santa Fe to work as the General Manager and Agent for the owners of what was then Rancho Zorro and is now The Fairbanks Ranch. It was during this time that I married my one and only wife Mary Chidester. We have three children who are now all graduates of the University of California. In 1978, my wife and I purchased 7 acres of orange trees. The grove is now certified organic by the State of California. In a good year we can produce one quarter of a million pounds of oranges which we sell to a juice company or for organic packaging and sales throughout the United States. When we purchased the grove, we cut down trees in the center of the grove, designed, and built a home where we live today. From 1975 to 1978, I worked for an irrigation supply company in Escondido as a design and sales representative before starting my own company in 1978, Agricultural Irrigation Systems, Inc. I still own that company and am the President/ CEO. We have done well over 20 million in sales since its inception. Almost all the sales and design work has been done by me. In 19¬¬85 my wife and I purchased 20 acres in Twin Oaks Valley and started another farm venture called Gourmet Gardens. We purchased the land, cleared the land, put in the irrigation system and the sewer system, and designed and built a commercial/industrial barn as a center of operations. Our family grew and sold specialty vegetables there for 16 years, with our 2 girls primarily working in the farm stand selling to customers and my son doing tractor work, and producing the vegetables with me. I began expanding my activities in community volunteering about 1994 when I was appointed to the Board of the Small Farm Center at UC Davis. I was also appointed by the County Board of Supervisors to a Rural/Urban Interface Committee. I have been a part of the Presidents Associates at CSUSM since the early 90's. I have also been on the Executive Board of the Presidents Associates at Palomar College since at least `95 or `96. My experience with Palomar goes back to when I was a student there in 1959-61. It was Mr. Virgil Bergman, recently deceased Dean and head of the Speech Department, who saw to it that I enrolled at Palomar and joined his speech team. I won many awards including first in the 11 Western States and second in the nation for original oratory. I had the lead role in a play. I was active in student government as the Treasurer of the Student Body. I also graduated as a Life Time member of the Honor Society. I feel Palomar gave me my start; I had teachers encouraging me that I remember fondly to this day. I have helped Tom Humphrey, Past Chairman of the Alumni and Friends, with alumni day by showing Palomar Graduates around the school and especially the showing alumni the Arboretum. I have been active with the Friends of Palomar Arboretum for the last 10 years and was President for 6 years. Several years ago, I served on the Facilities Planning Committee. During the last few years I have been going to the Governing Board meetings to educate myself about how the meetings go and what type of issues they deal with. I was asked to run for the Board by several people two years ago but decided against it at that time. In addition, in the last few years I have served on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for Facilities Bond money. I have served on the Executive Board of the President's Associates since 1996. I am currently on the Palomar College Foundation Board and serve on their Finance and Investment Committee. I have a long association with Palomar College and a good deal of personal knowledge about the school. I believe strongly in the Institution of the Community College system. It serves a very important place in raising the level of education in our society. We need more nurses, fire fighters, police, and paramedics. Palomar must continue its focus on other important emerging careers for the 21st century.
PLEASE VOTE RICHARD BOREVITZ FOR PALOMAR GOVERNING BOARD November 4th.