CLA Distinguished Alumni 2012

Richard “Rick” Bryson

Richard “Rick” Bryson (Economics ’66) grew up in Long Beach and attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School where he was a football and baseball star and a member of the football’s hall of fame.  After graduation Rick received an athletic scholarship to the University of Santa Clara.  During his freshman year there, he transferred to California State University, Long Beach where he was offered an athletic scholarship.  Rick excelled in academics, was a part of the Dean’s list and majored in Economics as well as a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.  Rick is also a member of the CSULB Athletic Hall of fame.

After graduation Rick went into the insurance business and eventually opened his own agency, which is one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the nation.  Throughout his career he has received several awards, including a business scholarship to the University of Michigan as well as the University of Notre Dame.  As a CLU and CHFC Rick gains the professional designation from the University of Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania.  Rick currently lives in Naples of Long Beach with his wife Bree and is the proud father of four children, who have given him seven grandchildren with one more on the way.

George Gascón

In 2011, George Gascón (History ’77) was elected as District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco after winning more than 62% of the vote. Gascón is the first Latino to hold the office of District Attorney in San Francisco.

Born in Cuba, Gascón and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in South Central Los Angeles when he was 13 years old. As a monolingual Spanish speaker in a new country, Gascón struggled in school and eventually dropped out. He went on to earn not only his high school diploma but a Bachelor of Arts in History from CSULB, and a Juris Doctor Degree from Western State University, College of Law.

Gascón has over three decades of experience in law enforcement. He earned a positive reputation for reforming one of the nation’s largest police departments by revamping officer training, teaching proper police procedure, and improving the Compstat program. Gascón is a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive Institute, and a member of the Harvard University/Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety.