When he was 19, Andrew Rafkin (Class of ’72, B.A., economics) was asked by a friend to take his place on his father’s commercial fishing boat on a four-day trip off the Santa Barbara coast. A storm of epic proportions arose during the voyage, with waves that reached 20 to 30 feet, placing him and the crew of the Diana in a 24-hour fight for their lives that included the boat being knocked on its side, crew members going overboard, and one dying in Rafkin’s arms. After decades of telling the story and having listeners urge him to write down the harrowing tale for posterity, the San Pedro native finally did so. His book, “Red Sky Morning,” won Rafkin a Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) 2009 EVVY Literary Award.

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