Bride and Groom Biographies

(2005 December)
Miss Raelene Danon
I was born on February 6th, 1973 in Edison, New Jersey. I was raised mostly in San Jose, California, and I’m still wondering where I will be when I finally grow up. As a child, one of my favorite foods was spinach and I thought fish were made of plastic. I dreamed of becoming an Olympic ice skater and a chocolate taster.

In school, I was interested in art, French, and being silly at the Friday night dances. I was also involved with the volleyball team and color guard, and was president of the French club. Getting accepted to U.C. Santa Cruz was a huge thrill, and my college years were about self-discovery and independence just as much as they were about all-nighters and excess coffee.

I earned my BA in Anthropology in 1995 and went on to get my MA. in Speech Communication from San Jose State University on 2002. My college years brought unexpected challenges when my parents, Cheryl Harmon and Nicy Danon, passed away a couple years apart from one another. This experience helped me to understand that one truly must live for today and not to wait to express love to those we care about. I think my parents would be proud that I chose to follow in my Grand-mère’s footsteps and become a college instructor.

Love is not something I am lacking in my life. I have a fantastic family, very dear friends, and, of course, my sweetie, Wayne. Its' also a privilege to have André the dog and Zoe the parrot in my life, who make me laugh and remind me that life is deliciously wonderful.

Life is very enjoyable indeed with my beloved Wayne to share it with. Wayne is goofy, patient, thoughtful, and deeply compassionate. It’s great to have that special someone to go camping with, try out a new recipe with, or just be together doing nothing. Wayne has a very big heart, and his presence in my life is the most amazing gift.

June will be a very special time, when Wayne and I formally express what is in our hearts and when our loved ones will join together as one family. Life is good!

Raelene Danon
2006 January 25

Dr. Wayne Coburn
I was born on 1969 July 25th to happy parents Pete and Barbara Coburn. Although I was born in the San Francisco bay area, my family moved to California's Great Central Valley when I was a few years old. I grew up in Visalia, a small town on CA-99 between Fresno and Bakersfield. Even at an early age I had a gift for computers, and when I was old enough my father would occasionally borrow a gigantic Hewlett-Packard computer with a tiny built in monitor and thermal register tape printer to practice programming on. Eventually that gave way to a top of the line Apple //e computer that I used through my first two years of college.

I attended various public schools in Visalia, eventually graduating from Mt. Whitney High School in 1988. I attended the local community college, College of the Sequoias, for two years and then transferred to the University of California, Davis. I started off as an engineering major, but once at Davis I changed to Physics. In 1993 I graduated with a BS with Honors in Physics from UC Davis.

In 1993 I also started graduate school at the University of California, San Diego, where I spent the next eight years studying and astrophysics and visiting exotic far off places like Germany and the South Pole. In 2001 I graduated from UCSD with a Ph.D. in Physics. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to the love and support from my father Pete and step-mother Ali, for without their help I would have never finished my Ph.D. After I graduated I started working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. I am now an Assistant Researcher at the laboratory.

Right now I am enjoying a nice, quiet life with my wonderful, loving fiance Raelene, along with our African Grey parrot Zoe and Shih Tzu Andre. I spend a couple nights a week indulging a childhood hobby (it rhymes with truncheons and flagons), and Raelene and I donate both time and money to the Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue by fostering neglected and abused parrots. We also love to cook together, take walks, and play with the animals. Raelene is a wonderful woman and friend. I am so glad that I met her, and even more so that she has agreed to marry me.

Wayne Coburn
2006 January 24