[Vision2020] Poster Biographies --

[Sunil Ramalingam]

Born in Santa Monica, moved to Malaysia before I turned three when my dad 
got a job there.  Returned to the US at 17, though my folks remained in 
Malaysia until 1987; in between, ninth and tenth grades at boarding school 
in Bangalore, India.  A bunch of my classmates are gathering there this week 
for our thirtieth reunion; most of us left in '77 after the tenth grade 
school-leaving exam.

Went to UC Davis, crawled out with terrible grades; some people shouldn't go 
to college at 18.  Went back to Sacramento State to get my grades up when I 
decided to go to law school.

Fought wildland fires for ten summers.  Ended up here because I was applying 
to law schools and smokejumper bases around the same time, and was picked up 
by the Boise Smokejumpers (BLM).  Law school here made sense.  Jumped fires 
in Alaska, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado for four seasons.  My rookie season I 
saw three grizzlies, two moose, countless bald eagles, and an osprey 
grabbing a salmon out of the Katmai River, all on one fire.  Kai, I wonder 
why anyone gets on a 'perfectly good airplane' without a parachute.  
Dislocated my left shoulder on my last jump on the Humboldt NF, near Ely, 
NV, and that was it.

Never been mauled by animals, wild or tame.

Got married right before law school, Anne-Marie joined me here my second 
year, and I talked her into staying.  Two kids.  I was a deputy prosecutor 
for two and a half years for Nez Perce County, worked for a small Lewiston 
firm for five years,  and now am one of Latah's two public defenders.  I 
like working where I live, and I get to see my family much more.

Sunil