Vietnamese Couple Test Their Limits in College and Pass With Honors

Dennis Vu will be the youngest person wearing a cap and gown at Cal State Fullerton’s commencement ceremonies Sunday. He’s 2 years old. He’ll likely spend the time playing with the gold tassel on his mortarboard, unaware what a huge day this is for Mom and Dad.

He’s the son of Josephine and Gentry Vu, who will graduate together with bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry. Dressing up Dennis for the occasion is the couple’s way of celebrating what a struggle it has been to reach this day.

I was about to stop writing about graduations. I had touched on one in an earlier column, and you can read lots of graduation stories in the newspaper this week. But Dave Reid of Cal State Fullerton’s public affairs office sent me an e-mail about the Vus, and phrases from it kept coming back to me: American Chemical Society Award for outstanding senior (Josephine Vu). Met at a church choir. Car-pooled to college. Shared textbooks. Vietnamese immigrants. High honors (his grade-point average 3.75, hers even higher, at 3.89.)

Gentry Vu, 37, arrived in the United States as a young boy in 1975, part of the great influx of Vietnamese here after the fall of Saigon. Josephine Vu came in 1984.

They have been married six years. They attended Irvine Valley College together for two years and enrolled at Cal State Fullerton three years ago, tutoring others to help pay their way. The past couple of years they have been concentrating on enzyme research, working with Christopher R. Meyer, an assistant professor of biochemistry.

“They are model students and terrific researchers,” Meyer said. “It’s been a pleasure to have them in my lab.”

Hard work, the Vus say, is something they’ve always known. But they see it as the way to provide a future for their family.

“The human mind, there is no limit,” Gentry Vu said. “You can push yourself to whatever limit you set for yourself.”

Maybe you remember, as I well do, how much college courses can take their toll on your brain. For now, he says, “I have pushed myself to the limit.”

House on the Hill: A few months ago I wrote about Faire Sax of Cowan Heights, and how she saved from destruction the grand old home of famous environmental pioneer John Muir. Since then a few people have called to tell me they have visited the house and loved it.

On a trip to San Francisco over Memorial Day weekend, I dropped my wife and our two children at Fisherman’s Wharf to spend an afternoon while I drove to Martinez, about 30 miles northeast of the Bay area, to see the home for myself.

In 1955, Sax and her late husband, Henry, bought the three-story Victorian hilltop home that John Muir and his family had lived in at the turn of the century. The Saxes lived in just one room while renovating the rest of the house. It took them 12 years. Then they sold it to the federal government without profit. It’s now operated by the National Park Service as a national historic site.

It wasn’t hard to find. I spotted its cupola from the highway, in view just above the tree line. If you’re interested in California history, I think you’ll find the house and grounds magnificent. Every room was open for viewing, including that famous bell tower itself. (Muir did most of his writing there just after dawn, Sax had told me.)

Sax hasn’t completed her good deeds, intended to keep John Muir’s name alive. She’s now donating about $50,000 in antique furniture for a new visitors center at the foot of the hill at the Park Service site. Officials told me fund-raising for it will begin soon.

Wrong Nut Case: The problem with having the reputation of being “The Peanut Man,” is it can be confusing when something bad happens to someone else in the same trade.

John Owens has been famous for 35 years for his accurate bag tossing to the crowd as he sells peanuts at Dodger Stadium. When a different vendor with a similar style was dismissed by stadium management, some fans thought it was Owens.

In fact, the Orange County Fair people in Costa Mesa have been getting calls of concern: Does this mean John Owens will not be coming to the Fair this summer?

So, to set the record straight: Owens was not fired by the Dodgers. And yes, he will be a special guest at the fair, which runs July 11-27. Its slogan this year is “Nuttin’ But Fun.” Which is where Owens comes in. He’ll show off his tossing style to fair visitors. I hesitate to tell you what Owens said about the confusion. OK, why not? He’ll be there, Owens says, because “peanuts are my bag.”

Wrap-Up: The Vus aren’t the only graduating couple at Cal State Fullerton this weekend. Stacie and Edwin Salas of Cypress will receive master’s degrees today from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Six years ago, Edwin Salas, now 33, arrived here from Bogota, Colombia, speaking very little English. But over the next year he picked up enough to work as a tutor and help others with their Spanish. Stacie Salas, now 25, was on her way to Spain to study for a year and decided she needed a tutor to improve her Spanish.

“I just picked his name at random among a list of tutors,” Stacie says now with a smile. At no charge, she also helped him with his English.

She spent the year in Spain but didn’t forget her tutor. They married two years ago. She’s now fluent in Spanish and is international accounts manager for Tyr Sports, a swimwear manufacturer. Edwin Salas has been working for the Department of Commerce as an international trade assistant.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to jerry.hicks@latimes.com