On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, students, faculty, and staff from both campuses, along with distinguished guests, gathered on the West Hills campus to celebrate the 34th Annual Founders Day Mass. The celebrant was School Chaplain Fr. Mike Chiuri, S.M.
Founders Day remembers Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and his charism to be formed by Mary for the mission of Christ. It also honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Chaminade.
During Mass, President Robert S. Webb named five Founders of Chaminade College Preparatory, who collectively represent over 150 years of service to the School. Gary C. Simons ’77 was honored for his decades of generous support and service to Chaminade. Longtime employees Wendy Cowgill, Jim Crossley, Cheryl Sue Lande, and Michael Joseph Suppan were honored for their 25 years of service to Chaminade. Below are their biographies.
Gary C. Simons ’77
Gary Simons attended Chaminade for middle and high school and graduated in 1977. He then attended UC San Diego as a bio/chem pre-med major. After realizing he had no desire to be a doctor, Mr. Simons transferred to California State University Northridge. He graduated summa cum laude in 1982 with a degree in business administration with specialties in real estate and finance.
Mr. Simons began his career in the construction industry as a laborer in high school, becoming a skilled carpenter while working through college, then moving to a manager position for a Los Angeles Westside estate builder after graduation. Planning a career in income property development, Mr. Simons joined the Hanes Company in 1985, a commercial real estate brokerage and investment firm. He listed and sold multiple properties, becoming the top-earning rookie agent. His success enabled him to found his own company, Projects West Corporation (PWC) in 1986, partnering with established income property investor and manager Mr. Larry Latt. Mr. Simons quickly located a development site and PWC was on its way. This first venture was the successful development of a 44-unit apartment complex in what is now Koreatown. Mr. Simons went on to acquire and develop numerous projects throughout Los Angeles within PWC, totaling approximately 750 apartment units by 1991. During this time, Mr. Sean Baker came to work with “Larry and Gary” as PWC’s acquisition lead.
Mr. Simons founded Projects West Construction, LP, in 1992, to offer general contracting services to third parties. He oversaw construction of approximately 2,000 new apartment units and reconstructed more than 1,000 more following the Northridge earthquake. With PWC he completed numerous commercial projects and tenant improvements, totaling more than 3 million square feet of apartment and commercial construction.
In 1996, Mr. Simons teamed up again with Mr. Baker, starting Upside Investments, Inc. (UII). UII was originally intended to hold properties they acquired with their own money, but eventually they brought in outside investor capital. They also formed Upside Investments, LP, to hold their long-term real estate investments. Upside was fortunate to begin investing when apartments were far less expensive than today, and when interest rates were much higher. Rising rents, falling interest rates, and rising property values have increased the value of their investments, thus developing a strong cash flow over the longer term.
Mr. Simons resides in Hidden Hills, CA with his wife Heidi and their three children. Graydon (23) and Elodie (21) graduated from Chaminade and are currently in college at UC Santa Cruz and Otis College of Art and Design, respectively. Keller (17) is a senior at Chaminade.
Mr. Simons is proud to support Chaminade’s mission of educating young people with a foundation of faith and ethics. He has served on the Chaminade Board of Directors and Finance Committee and chaired its Physical Facilities Committee. Mr. Simons continues to work with the Physical Facilities Committee, which oversees master planning, new facilities design and construction, and ongoing facilities maintenance, and serves as a consultant to the President and Board.
Mr. and Mrs. Simons are also proud to give to Chaminade. Additionally, they are active supporters of the Reagan Presidential Library, specifically its recent educational initiatives, and Delight Ministries, a Christian charity for women in college.
Wendy Cowgill
Wendy Cowgill was born in Glendale, CA and moved to Porter Ranch when she was 10 years old. As a student at Chatsworth High School she participated in gymnastics, volleyball, and choir. Mrs. Cowgill attended college after the 10th grade and earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from California State University.
At the time Mrs. Cowgill applied to work at Chaminade in 1999, she was teaching psychology at CSUN, running two research labs, and working as the clinical director for a foster care agency. Although she found this work rewarding, the hours were challenging for Mrs. Cowgill who was a single mother with two young sons. After she remarried and gained four stepsons, Mrs. Cowgill came to Chaminade in search of a schedule more amenable to raising six boys!
Mrs. Cowgill currently serves as the Director of the Center for Excellence. She is also the AP coordinator and teaches AP research. Mrs. Cowgill previously worked in the counseling department for 20 years and has taught psychology, AP psychology, probability and statistics, and AP statistics.
Mrs. Cowgill is delighted by the alumni who return to Chaminade during the summer to share their talents with the Center for Excellence. She credits the curiosity and enthusiasm of its students for making Chaminade a great place to work, and is proud to work alongside many alumni whom she once taught, including her daughter-in-law Mrs. Wilkerson!
Mrs. Cowgill and her husband Dan share sons Casey, Carvey, Corey, Zach, and two Kyles, one of whom works at Chaminade, and daughters-in-law Kara, Amanda, and Jessica. They have two grandsons, Calvin and Kaisen, and three granddaughters, Adaline, Henley, and Emery. Outside of Chaminade, Mrs. Cowgill loves to travel, garden, read, and spend time with her family.
Jim Crossley
Jim Crossley was born and raised in West Los Angeles where he graduated from University High School. He started at CSUN then took six years to travel and surf up and down the West Coast before returning to school. Mr. Crossley earned an undergraduate degree from California State University, Long Beach and a master’s degree in English from Loyola Marymount University.
While interviewing at Chaminade, Mr. Crossley was drawn to the sense of family spirit that was absent from his interviews with LAUSD. As a result, in 1999 he accepted a teaching position at Chaminade in the English department by way of the “LMU Pipeline” that included his future colleagues Ms. Jenn Poole, Mr. Mike Gamble, and Mrs. Amy Velasco.
Mr. Crossley continues to appreciate the family spirit at Chaminade and is proud that the Marianist school, like his Jesuit alma mater LMU, encourages students and teachers to embrace intellectual and spiritual challenges. From Shakespeare to Morrisson, and from Zadie Smith to Chaucer, Chaminade students have always tried to meet these challenges, and administration supports the rigorous messages of these texts.
Mr. Crossley married his wife Denise the same year he started at Chaminade, and in October they will celebrate 25 years of marriage. Together they have French bulldogs Jackson and Mikey. Mr. Crossley is grateful for his wife’s support of his desire to teach at Chaminade, even though it involves commuting from their home in Hawthorne.
Mr. Crossley tries to surf every day and, if the waves are good (or just so-so), he will not be deterred by cold weather, the threat of thunderstorms, dirty water, or the occasional juvenile Great White shark. Mr. Crossley appreciates William Wordsworth (not a surfer), who wrote that time spent with nature contributes to a person’s character, inspiring those “little, nameless, unremembered, acts / Of kindness and of love” of daily life. With very little that keeps him out of the ocean, Mr. Crossley thinks his time there makes him a better person.
Cheryl Sue Lande
Cheryl Lande was born and raised in Burbank, CA. She graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley and then attended LA Valley College in Van Nuys. After graduating high school, Mrs. Lande worked at LAUSD as a teacher’s aide and later went to work at the LA County Marshal’s Office in Van Nuys as a deputy clerk.
Mrs. Lande applied to work at Chaminade because her nephew was a graduate and she heard it was a special place. She started on September 21, 1999 and has since managed the middle school health and attendance office. Mrs. Lande also coordinates the annual spring trip for 8th graders and looks forward to taking this year’s group to Boston. She previously worked as the liaison between parents and Varsity Books when Chaminade adopted its online textbook purchasing program.
Mrs. Lande looks forward to coming to work each day at a beautiful campus with exceptional colleagues. She appreciates that she works part-time, which has allowed her to help with her parents’ care and be an available grandma. Mrs. Lande enjoys basketball, old black and white movies, and going to book signings. She and her husband Jerry most especially love spending time with their sons, daughters-in-law, and precious grandsons.
Michael Joseph Suppan
Mike Suppan was born in Arlington, VA and moved to California when he was eight years old. He graduated from El Camino Real High School, where he excelled in photography. Mr. Suppan earned a degree in economics from California State University Northridge before starting his own business, the Virginia Landscaping Company. After eight years, Mr. Suppan enrolled in the theology program at Mount St. Mary’s College to pursue a career in teaching.
Mr. Suppan first came to Chaminade in 1994. He has served as a religion teacher, school counselor, assistant athletic director, and wrestling coach. Currently Mr. Suppan teaches theology and previously taught accounting and economics. He credits his ability to make a difference in the lives of his students for his long tenure at Chaminade.
Mr. Suppan’s faith in Jesus Christ is very important to him. Each morning he wakes up early to read the Bible and pray. Thirty years ago, he memorized Romans 15:13, the Bible verse he meditates on every day: “Now may the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing as you abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Mr. Suppan has been married to his wife Virgina for 36 years and together they have two sons who attended Chaminade, Dylan (27) and Bryan (24). Outside of Chaminade, Mr. Suppan sells the Kobra Strike baseball training tool, which he invented, and enjoys working around his home.
