Barbara J. Van Zandt Teacher Training Endowment
Karen Medford (B.S. Ag. Econ.’82) has provided an endowment in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition in memory of her mother, Barbara J. Van Zandt. The endowment will be used to support the Center for Nutrition in Schools. Barbara Van Zandt was born November 12, 1930 and grew up in the San Diego area (Lemon Grove). She graduated from UC Santa Barbara in ’52 and obtained her Dietetics degree from Stanford University the following year. She worked as a Registered Dietitian in several San Francisco hospitals and then “retired” to raise four children in Orange County (Fullerton). During this time she often lectured in her children’s schools on proper eating habits. She frequently gave specific diet advice to those seeking weight loss. After her children left home, she worked for the California State University Fullerton Health Center as the resident Dietitian, counseling students regarding eating disorders and diets. She passed away on September 26, 2003 after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s. We want to thank Karen Medford and her husband, John, for establishing the Barbara J. Van Zandt Endowment in the Nutrition Department. Karen and John live in Oakland with their daughter, Sydney, and son, Pearce.