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Spring 2009
Holy Names University is continuing its positive momentum forward in the midst of the external economic downturn. This May 2009 we are beginning the renovation of the first floor of Brennan Hall into a new Student Center complex that includes a caf and dining area, new centers for Civic Engagement and Health and Wellness, and an advanced Technology Support Center as well as enhanced classrooms equipped with stateof-the-art technology. This newly renovated facility has all the promise of energy and engagement depicting the 21st century HNU technologically advanced experiential learning environment. To date we have raised $1.26 million, exceeding our original goal of $1.25 million, for this project. We are deeply grateful to all of our generous donors, especially given the financial challenges that everyone is experiencing. Our plan is to complete this project over the summer and to dedicate our new Student Center in Fall 2009. our students receive the highest quality education that prepares them to make the most significant difference possible. international aspects to a new level. Given Chinas prominence in our world and the need to expand the opportunities for global perspectives in every students educational experience, we will be working diligently to bring this partnership to an actuality in the next year or two.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Dalian University (DU) in Dalian, China, to explore a potential partnership between our two universities in our business programs. We already have several ties with Dalian. It is a Sister City of Oakland and the sister and brother-in-law of Helen Xu, HNU Assistant Professor of Business, are professor and Assistant Dean at the School of Physical Science and Technology at Dalian University. The University enrolls approximately 20,000 students and incorporates over 20 colleges. The representatives of the university were extremely welcoming, open to my presence, and made me feel very much at home. We are exploring a 2 plus 2 and/or 3 plus 1 partnership, whereby Dalian students would study for two or three years at DU and then come to HNU to complete their baccalaureate This Fall 2009 we will be launching sev- degrees in business. HNU students would eral new academic programs. A new Master also have the opportunity to attend DU of Arts in English, The Writers Craft, will to study Mandarin and/or business and focus on creative and scholarly work in the to experience firsthand Chinas cultural, areas of professional writing, creative writing, civic, and economic realities. This is a very and composition studies. This program will exciting opportunity and would heighten our combine in-classroom learning with innovative on-line options. A new undergraduate interdisciplinary major, Intercultural Peace and Justice, will combine social, scientific, theological, and historical analyses of conflict with the study of strategies for promoting peace and justice. A culminating course that integrates travel or community service aligned with studying the challenges and solutions of peacemaking and social justice will be required of all majors. The Business Department is initiating a new MBA concentration in Energy and Environment Management that will link the sciences with business in exploring the issues surrounding our environmental realities. Our Education Department has developed a major in Early Childhood Development in partnership with our community college neighbor, Merritt College. Each of these programs is aligned with the mission of Holy Names and meets a critical 21st-century need. I am very proud of our faculty for its innovative and creative Sister Rosemarie Nassif and President of Dalian University, thinking and for its dedication to assure that Dr. Pan Chengsheng
LIBERATING MINDS TRANSFORMING LIVES SINCE 1868
Your gift transforms the lives of each of our graduates and is the stimulus package that truly makes the most positive difference in our world.
This May 2009 we will send forth over 300 HNU graduates, equipped intellectually and morally to make a positive difference in our world. The present reality they are facing is like no other. All that they have become at Holy Names and all the ways they have learned to creatively navigate unusually challenging questions and issues will be put to serious test. We realize that in todays economic climate every contribution you make is a significant sacrifice. We want you to know that there is no investment that delivers a more positive return than the investment you make in supporting the quality of a Holy Names University education. We see that return in a powerful way at every HNU Commencement. Your gift transforms the lives of each of our graduates and is the stimulus package that truly makes the most positive difference in our world. This May 2009 we are more deeply grateful than ever for your support and engagement with HNU. You deserve to be as proud as we are on Saturday, May 16! Happy Commencement 2009! Gratefully,
S pring 2009
Holy Names University is a private, four-year, co-ed, Catholic university located on 60 wooded acres in the hills of Oakland, California. An academic community committed to the full development of each student, HNU offers a liberal education rooted in the Catholic tradition, empowering a diverse student body for leadership and service in a diverse world. HNU Today strengthens the shared connection among alumni, the University and the community. The magazine is published two times a year for the Universitys alumni and friends by the Office of Institutional Advancement. The diverse opinions expressed in HNU Today do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or polices of Holy Names University. Comments for the editor may be sent via e-mail to: alumni@hnu.edu
Contents
of campus Earth Week events
Pair of SNJM-sponsored Earth Week events highlight Sisters commitment to safeguarding the planets water.
Biology undergrad conducts research using new software thats part of the recent science lab renovation, then has abstract accepted for presentation at prestigious national conference in April.
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Campus News Student News Faculty News SNJM News Hawk Sports Center Main Feature Fundraising Alumni News Class Notes; In Memoriam 2009 Alumni Awards nominations
Or in writing to: Holy Names University Attn: Alumni Relations 3500 Mountain Boulevard Oakland, CA 94619 Readers, you can also update your information online at: www.hnu.edu/alumni/alumniUpdateForm.html
Universit y Officers
This fall, a new MA in English focuses on The Writers Craft while a new MBA concentration in the Business Department addresses the great need for management in the energy and environment fields.
Dedicated alums give it their all, whether working in local government to protect a countys health care programs or fighting against nuclear weapons.
Donors step up to help Marie-Rose Durocher Legacy Societys challenge campaign keep rolling during equally challenging economic times.
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Rosemarie Nassif, SSND, PhD, President Dav Cvitkovic, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Stuart Koop, Vice President for Finance and Administration Lizbeth Martin, Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Miller, Vice President for Student Affairs Sr. Carol Sellman, Vice President for Mission Effectiveness Alumni Executive Board President Julie Echaniz 75 Past Presidents Board President Maura Kelly Koberlein 84
HNU Today Staff This issue of HNU Today is directed and published by the Office of Institutional Advancement: Executive Editor
Dav Cvitkovic
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Contributing Writer and Editor
On the Cover Every May, Holy Names University sends a fresh crop of graduates out into the world to put their years of learningto both intelligent and compassionateuse. Here, HNU presidentSister Rosemarie Nassif addresses the Class of 07.
Jen Slusser
Graphic Designer
Campus news
After teaching sociology and criminology at the university level for some 30 years, Jack Dison moved to California where he pursued further graduate studies, including work at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and at the Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies at Fresno Pacific University. Over the past five years he has spent much of his time in various restorative justice activities and projects. He facilitates small victim-offender groups at San Quentin and works with Circles of Support and Accountability through Restorative Justice for Oakland youth. During his talk, Dison described restorative justice as a vision and process of doing justice in a format completely different from the criminal justice system. Restorative justice tries to find ways of healing broken relationships when a crime has been committed. This work views conflict as an opportunity for a community to engage in processes that promote repair, reconciliation, and the rebuilding of relationships while preserving the safety and dignity of all members involved: the victim, the wrongdoer, and the community at large. It is a totally voluntary process that currently exists at San Quentin prison.
...and the Recipient
Bryan Smith and Jack Dison explore effective program for the incarcerated about being different from others. One evening, he and several other young men were involved in an incident in which another young man was killed. At 19 he was sent to San Quentin where his life was a nightmare. Happily, he met Jack Dison and participated in the restorative justice program that led him away from his denial of this crime to acceptance and rehabilitation. While in San Quentin he participated in many spiritual, educational, vocational, and selfdevelopment programs, including the Victim Offender Education Group. He was paroled from San Quentin State Prison in August 2007 after serving over 20 years for this homicide conviction. He is currently employed in a drug-and-alcohol treatment center in Berkeley where he conducts group sessions and teaches classes. The audience was totally engaged in listening to the stories these men shared and had the opportunity of experiencing the holy through them.
Bryan Smith, one of four children from a working-class family, found himself in the role of class clown when he was in school. He frequently acted out in school and by his junior year in high school he was using tobacco and drugs to manage the pain he felt
he Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary of the US-Ontario Province have taken a public corporate stand to safeguard water, which they espouse as a human right and a public good. Both the lack of water and the commercialization of water have a significant impact on the economic situation and the Sisters maintain that water is not for sale. To promote this SNJM stance, the Sisters who minister at Holy Names University invited the campus community to two educational programs during Earth Week. On Tuesday, April 21st, Holy Names University and Holy Names High School students who participated in projects related to water shared the fruits of their work. Four Holy Names High
School students presented a video they made during their mid-session in January with Blue Planet Run. The video highlights some of the facts about water consumption and encourages reflection on ways to conserve water. Holy Names University students in Vanessa Handleys biochemistry class made a presentation on the biochemical water analysis project they have been working on to monitor Pyrethroids in our local watersheds. Their results will serve as a resource for both local and regional water regulatory agencies. On Wednesday, April 22nd, the University sponsored a free on-campus showing of the film, Flow, to members of the campus and to the public. Following the viewing of the film, speakers from Food and Water Watch in San Francisco shared additional information with the audience about water conservation in the Bay Area and addressed the questions of those present. At the end of each of these events, those in the audience were given an opportunity to commit to an action regarding the safeguarding of water.
Student news
When Professor Smith saw the compelling results of Felicitys work, Smith suggested submitting an abstract to NCUR. Ive been here 15 years, says Smith, and Ive never seen a biology student take her own research and present it to a wider community. She was able to produce a professional product in an undergraduate class and to be competitive in a professional setting. I believe her research is of a quality to merit publication. Felicitys mentor, Assistant Professor of Biology Jennifer Sherwood, concurs. She is assisting Felicity with her independent study during her final semester, which includes preparing her research results for publication. Says Sherwood, Felicity is a phenomenal student. I see Felicitys success as nucleating the process of getting more students involved in doing research with faculty. We have more phenomenal students and the equipment is a great first step in facilitating our students to do research, which is huge for the students for when they are applying to grad school and huge for the University, too. A plus at HNU is that its small enough that faculty can spend a lot of time with students as they conduct their research. As for Felicity, shes forging ahead, hoping to obtain a research internship so she can conduct further tests on asthma patients and getting ready to apply for med school. Ive wanted to get into medical research ever since I did an internship at Childrens Hospital in Oakland, Felicity reveals. I couldnt picture myself doing anything else. Now, thanks to HNUs upgraded science lab, neither can a lot of other people!
Felicitys advisor, Julia Smith, Professor of Biological Sciences, is the first to admit New lab software enables Felicity Harris to that the only reason Felic- prepare research abstract to present at leading ity could accomplish what undergrad research conference. she did is because of the new software, part of the science lab renovation intended to provide our students with the resources they need to be competitive in biology. Says Felicity, This particular software from iWorx allows you to calculate pulmonary functions. I wanted to find out whether visualizing a calming image would increase ones FEV [forced expiratory lung
faculty news
wo post-graduate programs coming to the HNU campus in the next 12 months have both the right and the left sides of the brain covered! Available starting next fall, The Writers Craft is a new MA degree from the English department that promises to enable writers to live the writing life. The Business Department will broaden the timeliness and practicality of its offerings when its Energy and Environment Management Concentration for HNUs MBA program rolls out in the spring of 2010.
HNU Faculty
ook for two compelling books written by HNU faculty in your local bookstore or favorite book e-tailer in the coming months, each of which, in two very different ways, helps we beleaguered humans to live a more centered, fuller, realized life.
Dr. Dan Schmidt Dan Schmidt, director of The Writers Craft MA program, waxes enthusiastically about the new program that combines all the kinds of writing hes dabbled in himself. Dr. Schmidt explains, This masters offers something both useful and unique in that it combines creative writing with professional and teaching writing instead of focusing on just one. Participants in the program will be able to create their own individualized program of classes and workshops and receive input from colleagues, higher-ups, and professional writers. The program slogan, he reveals, is Write to Live. Live to write. and resonates with people who see writing as their passion. Beth Martin, VP for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, relishes the innovative structure of The Writers Craft. She says, Students get to learn about different kinds of writing and choose master teachers who can offer mentoring remotely. This is not the same old masters in English! Meanwhile, over in the Business Department, Director of the MBA program Jim Durbin and colleague Dr. Paolo Ricci ready the Energy and Environment Management Con-
The chair of HNUs Department of Nursing, Fay Bowers, DNSc, FAAN, has just coauthored with Dr. William A. Sandler, Professor of Sociology and Business at HNU, a 180-page book that offers third-age nurses ways to rethink, remap, and renew their careers during their next stage of life. Why Retire? Career Strategies for Third-Age Nurses addresses the new paradigm on aging, the Third Age, or that period of life from ages 50 to 75 that has traded in its negative images of decline, disuse, and disease for energy, renewal, and growth. This practical, paperbound book, scheduled for April 2009 publication, helps nurses younger than 50 integrate the books principles into future career plans. For nurses into their Third Age, there is a wealth of wisdom and strategies for maximizing these years. And healthcare leaders will find this guidebook an essential resource in dealing with the nursing shortage. Publisher is Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing.
Associate Professor Jim Durbin and Dr. Paolo Ricci Vice President for Academic Affairs Beth Martin affirms the urgent need for management in this area, stating, We want to train people who can deal creatively with complex, cuttingedge problems, problems that we havent had to deal with as a society before, in regard to energy sources, uses, and policy. Were responding to a current need thats even more urgent in this economic environment. Fay Bowers, DNSc, FAAN
snjm news
Sr. Maureen Hester Following her recent retirement, Sr. Maureen Hester has returned to campus to open the Office of Social Justice and Civic Engagement. To prepare for this work she attended a national training meeting of Campus Compact at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Campus Compact was founded byfouruniversity presidents in the 1980s and now represents some 6 million students dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and servicelearning in higher education. Sr. Maureen serves as our liaison between this important organization and civic engagement efforts throughout our campus. Through a grant sheofferedtwofaculty training sessions last fall, which enabled HNU to sponsor four service-learning classes this spring. Working withSr. Shirley Sexton who coordinates student placements, Sister Maureen has 50 students doing community-based learning experiences this semester. We are pleased that Sr. Hester remains a vital part of the HNU campus community!
While Bowers and Sandlers new book deals with ones public life, Father James Conlon, Director of HNUs Sophia Center, has written a book that takes one on a decidedly inner journey. Recently acquired for publication by Wyndham Hall Press, Conlons eighth book, Beauty, Wonder and Belonging: A Book of Hours for the Monastery of the Cosmos, unlike a usual Book of Hours, focuses only on dawn and dusk, the most transitional and dramatic times of each day, to provide a context in which to integrate humanitys emerging vision of the world of beauty, wonder and belonging with the practice of everyday engagement in life. As each person ponders his or her destiny, the book helps the reader prepare to enter the portal of each new moment with the curiosity of a child, the heart of a mystic and the voice of a prophet. The books seven chapters are divided into the days of the week with each one assigned a particular theme. Within each chapter are brief commentaries or musings on seven components, such as Theme, Reflection, Prophetic Voices, and Response. Father Conlon reflects, There is a generation of seekers, urban contemplatives, who are looking to lead a more interior life, feeling a call to a greater depth while wanting to maintain a connection with everyday life. Those with a need for deep cultural therapy will welcome Conlons latest work. Publication date is yet to be determined.
Sr. Susan Wells ences as citizen leaders and citizens of the campus. She collaborates with students, faculty, and staff in organizing programs and services that align with the mission and vision of the University and its strategic plan to ensure a positive experience for all students. In this new role, Sister Susan traveled with students to Tutwiler, Mississippi, for spring break where they helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity and interacted with the SNJM staff and students in the Tutwiler Community Center. Welcome, Sister Susan!
FEATURE
Two strong bonds unite the six alumni profiled in this article: their fierce, unrelenting commitment to serving their fellow human beings and a deep appreciation of their time spent at HNU. From a vocal anti-nuclear-bomb activist to a public health nurse quietly going her way to affect change, these exemplary individuals have trod the extra mile to help better the lives of the sick, the less fortunate, the troubled, and, yes, even every person on the planet.
Jeanne Boyce, MA 81
Honored by Calaveras County as Government Person of the Year Since December 1999, Jeanne Boyce MA 81 has been director of the Calaveras County Health Services Agency, whose mission is to provide public health and behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) services to the Countys citizens. In January she was selected as the Government Person of the Year by the Calaveras Enterprise Advisory Board, recognized for her nine years as director, overseeing the agencys departments and providing legal, political, and financial administration. In an interview that appeared in The Calaveras Enterprise in January, Boyce, 54, who controls the largest budgets in the county, discussed the agencys accomplishments and the challenges she faces in these tough economic times. My biggest challenge has been the lack of resources, the widely respected director reveals. There is always a need for more funding and more staff. You simply learn to live within certain constraints. Living with the current state budget situation that she likens to a house of cards, Boyce has been able to establish perinatal and drug court programs, which she calls my two proudest moments. The three years she spent at HNU getting a masters in education and human development played a huge role in leading her to a public policy career. After I got my BA in liberal arts at San Francisco State in the 70s, I was living and working in San Francisco. I wanted to get my masters and HNU had one of very few evening masters programs back then; it catered to working professionals, plus it had a more intimate learning environment, she recalls. When I earned my MA in 1981, I also received a certificate in gerontology, which was very unique at the time. The MA and the certificate changed my life because they got me into public policy. Shortly after, I met a state assemblyman who served on the assembly health committee and dealt with senior issues. I ended up working with him as a consultant in the Legislature and Ive been in public policy ever since.
Anne Symens-Bucher, 82
Lifelong peace activist named Catholic Woman of the Year Last November, Anne Symens-Bucher 82, a cofounder of the Nevada Desert Experience, a pacifist organization formed in the early 1980s to promote peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons, was one of two East Bay women honored as Catholic Woman of the Year by the Catholic Charities of the East Bay at its annual award ceremony. When Symens-Bucher was majoring in community studies at UCSanta Cruz, she read a book about the Catholic Worker Movement and, leaving college, headed to New York to become more involved. After a year in New York, I felt ready to finish my education, the 51-year-old social activist recalls. My mom [Rita ONeill Bucher 54] was such a Holy Names girl. The relationships she kept with her Holy Names friends left a big impression on me. I decided to apply to Holy Names and when I handed her the letter of acceptance, it meant a lot to her. I was in my mid-20s and had come back really excited about learning, finishing 36 units in one year. I had incredible teachers and so much freedom to create what was meaningful to me, such as doing my thesis on the dropping of the atomic bomb. It was a great full year for me, to have intellectual and philosophical dimensions of learning attached to my activism. I didnt realize it at the time, but I was a radical at Catholic Worker, she reflects. Now I want the peace movement to be more peaceful. I believe peace comes into our world one relationship at a time. We have to foster relationships with people with whom we disagree, reaching out with openness about why people do what they do. For many years, Symens-Bucher was a co-director of the Franciscans Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation office. Today, she and her husband, Terry, are collaborative trainers at Bay Area Nonviolent Communication, helping couples and parents learn to communicate in a positive, non-confrontational manner.
Holy Names University graduates long, winding road to ordination In June of 2011, Jeffrey Core 02 will be ordained a diocesan priest after four years of theological studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Its been quite a circuitous journey for the 38-year-old native of Washington State. After graduating from high school in 1989, he worked at a number of jobs. But when he chaperoned a youth function, suddenly young adult ministry became an option. I thought maybe I should be doing more than working as a chef, Core relates. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans, studying at the novitiate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and taking simple vows at Santa Inez in California. In 1998, when he moved to the House of Studies in Berkeley, he knew he finally had to address his lack of a college degree. I decided Holy Names was where Id be best off, Core says. I had zero experience with colleges, and something clicked. There was a sense of community, a small-town feel in the middle of the Bay Area. And the professors, while they were incredibly available and flexible, held us to a very high standard. In my last year, I was elected class president and then chosen by my classmates to be commencement speaker. I still hold this as a very high honor like getting a SAG award instead of an Oscar when youre chosen by your peers. After earning his BA in history and philosophy at HNU, Core worked several years for Oakland Park and Rec (philosophical historians are not in big demand) and then worked at the Idaho Food Bank and in young adult ministries with Diocese of Boise. After working in campus ministry at the University of Great Falls in Montana, he attended the seminary in the Diocese of Spokane and in the fall of 2007 entered the Theological College at the Catholic University of America. Looking back on his long journey, Core says, HNU was one of the best experiences of my lifeeasily among the happiest of my life thus far.
Jeffrey Core, 02
English Project invited back to remote Mexican settlement for second year This coming July, Maria Herrington 04, who teaches Spanish part time at HNU, will head to a remote corner of Mexico for the second summer in a row to bring English and more to a small ejido (indigenous communal land granted by the government) whose 750 or so inhabitants are Choi, direct descendants of the ancient Maya. Herringtons Teach English in Chiapas Project came about because of a meeting in San Francisco with Don Alfredo, a native of that ejido, Ignacio Allende. Alfredo has been working to bring economic and educational help to Ignacio Allende, and Herrington, 26, who was working on her masters in Latin American Studies at UCBerkeley, determined that she wanted to help. The goal of my project is to help this marginalized indigenous group compete in Chiapas tourist-driven economy, explains Herrington, and also help them preserve their native traditions. At HNU the service learning portion of my education and my work in student government gave me focus and a foundation. I learned to be not only a member but also an activist in the community. I hope my project espouses that: serving as well as teaching. Herringtons project began last year and included a single two-week session during which Herrington and five other women taught English lessons for two hours each day to students aged 12 and up and also helped two families with their tourist-based business plans. At the end of the session, the community asked the group to return. This year, we have a pair of two-week sessions planned and a goal of 12 participants per session, Herrington outlines. Also, in addition to teaching English, well be introducing a community literacy program, basic hygiene and sports for both girls and boys, and a journal project that involves the students writing and making their own books. For more information or to sign up for one of this summers sessions, go to myspace.com/chiapasproject. As of press time, there were still 10 openings available out of a total of 24 spots.
Maria Herrington, 04
Letteria Fletcher, 06
After taking the next step, whats next? Giving back. When Letteria Fletcher 06 received her BA in psychology in the spring of 2006, she made a bit of history. She was the first student from the Next Step Learning Center to graduate from HNU. The odds of her finding Next Step were not stacked in her favor. Homeless. Drug-addicted mother. Runaway. High school dropout. Alcoholism. Drug addiction. Today Fletcher not only has her BA but also a masters in psychology from HNU (08) and now works at Youth Emergency Assistance Hostel, counseling homeless youth transitioning out of the foster care system (I wake up every morning grateful that I get to do what I do). Within a year, she will be a licensed marriage and family therapist. It all started to turn around for Fletcher in 1997 when she checked into the Chrysalis womens treatment center in Oakland. Says Fletcher, The ability to accept help is really a big factor. When she was six months into sobriety she told her counselor, Sister Lorraine, that she was thinking of going back to bartending. Sister Lorraine quickly steered her to Next Step Learning Center, the adult literacy program founded in 1994 in Oakland by the Sisters of the Holy Names and run by Center CoDirector Sr. Cynthia Canning, SNJM. The Sisters worked with me one on one, Fletcher relates. They turned every small victory into an opportunity to convince me I was smart. When Fletcher had trouble passing the math section of the GED, the Sisters tutored her, discovered she had dyslexia, and helped her overcome it. She finally passed the dreaded math section of the GED. As a young African American woman whose grandma cleaned houses for a living and whose mother used drugs for much of her life and never finished high school, it never occurred to me that my life could be any different, says Fletcher. Thats why its so important to have somebody who believes in you and can help you craft a different vision for your future. I send a lot of our kids to Next Step. I try to show them that I believe in them, most often before they are ready to believe in themselves. Next Step and the Sisters did this for me and it has made all the difference.
Alum named Ventura Countys 2009 Community Nurse of the Year On February 12, Claudia Benton MSN 08 had the honor of being named 2009 Community Nurse of the Year in Ventura County at the annual David C. Fainer Awards ceremony. The awards are given to individuals whose personal ethics and professional performance reflect Dr. Fainers ideals of involvement, commitment, and contributions to health care in the community. In also receiving certificates of recognition and congratulations from the California State Assembly and Congress and surrounded by her husband, four children, friends, and co-workers, Benton, 43, was overwhelmed and acknowledged to those gathered that it was humbling to be given such an honor in the company of other honorees with up to 55 years of service in the County. Her award acknowledged her work in orienting and mentoring other nurses, empowering people to advocate for themselves, and offering very positive, culturally sensitive care. Bentons own history of nursing began in Colombia, South America, when she received a bachelors degree in nursing in 1989 from a Jesuit university in Bogota. In 1993, a year after arriving in the U.S., she passed the two-day test for RN on her first attempt. In 2006, she was invited by the California Nurses Foundation to be a member of a Blue Ribbon panel that met once a month to train nurses in Oakland on Cultural Awareness Education for Clinical Staff in a Health Care Setting. When Benton heard about the HNU masters program, she jumped at the chance to sign up. For the next two years, in conjunction with her Blue Panel meeting, she stayed at Founders Hall while she studied. I really liked the professors, the level of education, the flexibility, plus the broadcast aspect allowed me to work full time in Ventura! she enthused. Next on Bentons agenda is a PhD, but in the meantime, shell continue to focus on public health, making home visits to the underprivileged, and providing home education.
Claudia Benton, 08
fundraising
We are also pleased to share with you that we have several new members of the Legacy Society, two of whom we are highlighting in this issue: Wyn Ernest and Ann Reynolds.
fundraising
able to get many gifts for Holy Names from Chevron through the years, but the greatest gift was Bob himself. Bob was generous to Holy Names in numerous ways. He introduced many business leaders to Holy Names and he participated in every event sponsored by the College. De-
Robert Summers and his sister, Beverly In gratitude for his gift, a memorial Mass was celebrated in McLean Chapel on February 26th, the sixth-month anniversary of Bobs death. After HNU president, Sister Rosemarie Nassif, welcomed our guests, Sister Irene Woodward, who had been president when Bob was most active with Holy Names, shared her reflections of his life. She recalled, During this time, we also started an annual Business Symposium, bringing the business and civic leaders together on our campus for a full day, to dream and plan together for a better Oakland and East Bay. We were fortunate to have some significant leaders in the corporate world of Oakland as members of our Boards, but we did not know anyone from Chevron, which had recently moved its corporate headquarters out of San Francisco to San Ramon, and which was eager to establish good relations with this new part of the world. The gift from Chevron to us, one that has endured to this day, was the assigning of Bob Summers, their manager of public affairs for the East Bay, to head up their relationship to Holy Names. Through his position, he was spite his frequent presence, Bob was never imposing nor did he seek the limelight. Sr. Irene concluded by saying, So, when Bob died last summer, we had grateful memories of a truly gentle man, and we will always hold them fondly and sacredly. But the story is not finished. Bob did one final thing in the same way he had done everything quietly, modestly, without bringing attention to himself, but with deep loyalty and devotion. I might say that he fulfilled every university presidents dream: to learn one day that someone has left the institution a very significant amount of money for student scholarships. We had no idea that he included us in his will, much less, such a very large gift. Thank you, Bob, for your service to Holy Names University over the years and especially for remembering our students so thoughtfully your partnership with us will enable our students to achieve their dreams of receiving a college education.
ALUMNI NEWS
Homecoming
2008
1948 1958
Class of 1948
Class members in attendance at Homecoming included Cathryne Keys Allan, Margaret Bendorf Callahan, Claire McAleer Canning, Sr. Paul Gerard Gustafson, Andine OConnell Hadfield, Mary McEnhill McInerney, Julia Morrell, and Ginnie Moran Rarig.
Class of 1958
Class members in attendance at Homecoming included Barbara McKinley Affolter, Angela Campbell Backman, Toni Grupalo Caulfield, Marie McCoy Frisbie, Sr. Joan Katheryn Giubergia, Rosemary Knight Harrar, Maureen Sullivan Jacobs, Claudia Harshner Johnson, Mary Joyce, Mary Anne Johnson Kaarto, Jeanette Pelusi MacDonald, Sydney Nunez Perryman, Karen Jorgensen Profet, Ellie Robertson, Angela Griffith Skrivanich, Sr. Della Stanton, Anna Turner Stephens, Sheila Scanlon Wilkins, Carmen LaRossa Williams, Ann Rowland Young, and Marcia Stone Zimmerman.
Class of 1963
1963
Class members who attended Homecoming events on campus included Joan McGlynn Cattalini, Clara Felix George, and Maria Elena Armanino Lawbaugh.
Class of 1968
Class members in attendance at Homecoming included Kathy Mendonca Adleman, Patricia Loftus Allegretti, Marylouise Amarante Bailey, Micaela Mena Baker, Carmen Rocha Bergmann, Grace Prindiville Campbell, Kathleen Rebello Collins, Sandy Colombo, Rosemary Cortez, Kit OMalley Doerr, Antoinette Cardinale Ericksen, Dolores Fiscalini, Judith Herman Grady, Mary Meyerle Kelly, Charlotte Pacheco Lundberg, Nancy Yerby McCormick, Patsy McKittrick, Carol Alm Porter, Paula Dyste Rothling, Susie Schnieders, Lois Mayer Sonneman, Sr. Nancy Teskey , Pat Mulera Vallejo, Marianne Bleymaier Ware, and Shirley Smyer Watson.
1968
1973
ALUMNI NEWS
1978
Class of 1973
Class members in attendance at Homecoming included Maureen Murphy Bergondy, Loretta DiLoretno Caughran, Kip Thomas Dettmer, Barb Witt Garcia, Phil Gibson, Colleen Freitas Manak, Ronda Theisen, and Dolores Andorka Travis.
Class of 1978
Class members who attended Homecoming events on campus included Marie Thornton Johnson and Barbara Koehler Rogers.
1988
Class of 1988
Class members who attended Homecoming events on campus included Anne-Dunlap Kahren and Michael Mosby.
Class of 2003
Class members who attended Homecoming events on campus included Kether Dooley and Ann Connolly Olson.
Class of 2008
2003
Class members in attendance at Homecoming included Katie Clark, Tiffany Ho, Stephanie Jimenez, Jennifer Perkins, Martha Spivey, Liz Widren, and Andrew Wilson.
2008
October 9 & 10
Save the Date!
SPRING 2009 | HNU TODAY 13
Class Notes
07
Theresa D. Handis 07 Thank you to all the instructors and staff for a wonderful experience at HNU!
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I n M em o riam
Christiane K. Monroe 91 April 7, 2008 Jeanette Marie Bolce, SNJM 63 August 17, 2008 Mary Theresa Cruz MacGillivray 55 September 18, 2008 Leonie Holloway Allen Cassidy 76 October 31, 2008 Joan Marie McNamara MacIntyre 54 (Sister of Patricia McNamara Schnell 56) November 8, 2008 Roberta Mary Furrer, SNJM 42 November 24, 2008 Paul Godkin (Regent Emeritus of the University) November 29, 2008 Kathy Huebner 80 December 10, 2008 Mary Teresina Bretz, SNJM 57 December 17, 2008 Charlotte Bettencourt Wixson 63 December 22, 2008 Francis Gerard FitzPatrick, Sr. (Regent Emeritus of the University, husband of Mary Nunes FitzPatrick 46, RIP) December 30, 2008 Peggy Ann Welp McNamara 53 February 16, 2009 Cecelia Eifert Desmond 61 March 7, 2009 Dorothea L. Murphy 37 March 15, 2009
Karen Lowden Abude 97 became a mother this year, for the third time, to Mario Makan Abude. Tina Lowden 97 is now a docent at Christ the Light Cathedral in Oakland.
97
Susan E. Lawrence 66 I retired in June from teaching at Marin Catholic High School after 40 years of teaching. Bernice Marlow Chamberlain 64 turned 90 in June. She has lived at Sun City, Roseville, for the last 12 years and enjoys playing 18 holes of golf three times a week. When Toni Simon-Windy, class of 65, visited Bernice, the nonagenarian had just hit a score of 104. After teaching in the Oakland school district for 17 years, she has enjoyed her retirement and stays fit by playing golf. Clarice Condon Hill 60 My husband, Terry, and I are both retired after each teaching for 40 years. I keep busy with five grandchildren, helping at the Ojai Valley Museum and pursuing my love of art, calligraphy, illustration, and stitchery.
64
96 72
Vivian M Prater 96 I lost my husband, Wallace, on 6/22/08. He had a blood clot in his leg that went to his lungs. We enjoyed 30 years and 9 months of marital bliss. Bettye Hornsby-Burns 72 is HNC junior class 194950, Raskob Institute of Learning graduate 1972, Reading Specialist, M.Ed., and retired teacher. Nathalia Lie Hwang 72 I miss the Lab and the old school. Wish I were young again. I just returned from China visiting one of its best schools. Once a year, the China Ministry of Education has a teachers conference, all expenses paid, for teachers in China. I met teachers from Tibet, Mongolia, Sinkiang, Singapore and Malaysia.
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57 56 42
Katherine Donovan Perez 71 Dr. Perez, a professor at St. Marys College, has a best-selling book from Corwin Press: More Than 100 Brain-Friendly Tools and Strategies for Literacy Instruction. Her next book is Differentiated for teachers. Rosalie Bracco Reberg 71 I remain committed to education, spending 22 years as a teacher and the last 13 in school administration. I am currently principal of Bernard Hughes Elementary School in Modesto.
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Mary Ann Marinak 57 Im still doing what I love playing the violin in String Quartet and other chamber music, working in my garden, and teaching private violin students in my home are still my first priorities.
Margaret Foley Ward 56 I am grateful for the scholarship that helped me begin my college years at Holy Names at the Lake. The best teachers were in our classrooms and wonderful classmates were our friends. Elizabeth M. Chadwick 42 I retired from the University of Arizona and at 87 am still active in the Opera Guild of Southern Arizona. After 54 years in Tucson, Im almost a desert rat!
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Theresa Ward Jung 70 After 7 years back in the Oxnard house I grew up in, Alan and I find ourselves moving back to Boise where we raised our four children. Three children, one son-in-law, and two grandchildren live in Idaho. The fourth calls Portland home. Alan is looking to retire to golf, fish, and consult. I hope to be back working in the church.
Make your
nomination today!
2009 Nomination Form
The Holy Names University Alumni Association recognizes exceptional faculty and alumni on an annual basis. Faculty are recognized for outstanding service to the University. Alumni are recognized for outstanding achievement in a profession, exceptional service to the Church or the community, or outstanding volunteer service to the Alumni Association and the University. Please nominate a deserving professor or member of the Alumni Association in recognition of his/her service, dedication and achievements. You may make copies of this form to fax or mail to the Alumni Association. Thank you.
My Name
What are the Alumni Awards? For over 30 years the Holy Names University Alumni Association has been honoring outstanding alumni and members of the faculty who provide service and leadership in their communities, their church, or at the University. The Alumni Association has also recognized those with extraordinary accomplishments in their career. A challenge for any organization is finding ways to make long-standing and meaningful traditions vibrant and pertinent today as its constituency grows and changes. The same holds true for the Alumni Association, which is currently in the process of reviewing the type and number of awards. How can I participate? If you know of a deserving alum or faculty member who has greatly benefited the University or his or her community or profession please nominate him/her in recognition of that individuals service, dedication, and achievements. If you have ideas about the types of awards that the Alumni Association should consider please submit those suggestions. What if Im not sure about whom Id like to nominate? There are many deserving members of the Alumni Association and the University faculty. Even if you just have an idea, send it our way and well research it further. How can I submit my nomination or award suggestions? You may fax or mail copies of this form to the Alumni Association or submit your nomination electronically. Fax the form to (510) 436-1233 or mail it to Holy Names University, Attn: Alumni Relations, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA 94619 or e-mail us at alumni@hnu.edu. (To download a nomination form, go to www.hnu.edu and key in 2009 Alumni Awards in the search box.) What if I am interested in serving on the Alumni Awards Committee? Please contact Julie Echaniz, HNUAA president, at echaniz_tj@ yahoo.com, or Steven Borg, HNUAA Awards Committee chairperson, at steven.borg@calbt.com. Or you may call the HNU Alumni Relations Office at (510) 436-1240.
Address
City/State/Zip Code
Phone
Name of Nominee
Statement of Support
Please prepare a statement or attach the following: A listing of the nominees outstanding contributions or achievements Professional and/or volunteer activities and recognition Letters of support
Fax to: (510) 436-1233 Mail to: Alumni Relations, HNU, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA 94619 E-mail to: alumni@hnu.edu
Popular ball from the 50s and 60s makes its 21st-century debut
September 6th, for an evening of dining, dancing, and, of course, non-stop reminiscing. Event co-chair and Alumni Executive Board President Julie Echaniz 75 recounts, When the Alumni Executive Board started planning Homecoming 2008, we talked about having an evening event, something elegant, especially in light of the fact that we were also celebrating HNUs 140-year anniversary. HNU alumna Rosaleen Kelly 55 had mentioned that the Claremont Country Club was the site of an earlier CoHoNa Ball [1953] and through her we were able to secure the Club for last Septembers ball. We are extremely grateful to Rosaleen and her husband, Jim, an HNU trustee, for sponsoring the Balls comeback event. Given the turnout and the enthusiasm the Alumnae Honor Ball generated, we will definitely be having it again during the 2009 Homecoming Weekend on the evening of October 9th, most likely at an alternate location. Co-chairing the event with Echaniz was Alumni Executive Board Vice President Michael Mosby 88. One of the unanticipated high points of the latest Ball was the coming together and sharing of experiences of alumni spanning many decades with recent graduates and current students. As attendees feasted on hors doeuvres, salads, grilled salmon and filet mignon surf and turf platters and mango/passion fruit mousses, old and new HNU veterans told their stories to each other, taking a break now and then to dance to a DJs playlist of sounds from several decades of pop, country, and rock-and-roll music. Attendee Kathleen Gallagher Dunlap 60 recalls, It was really lovely, especially meeting some of the new graduates. They were so cute and so funny and so nice. The mix of generations resonated with other attendees as well. Kathleens daughter, Anne DunlapKahren 88, says, It was a sparkling, spectacular event. Everyone was dressed to the nines, and there was a very good showing of recent grads. Barbara Smith 62 adds, I had attended a CoHoNa Ball in the mid60s. This was just as delightful. The best part of the evening was seeing the young people
there! It was a great chance for the generations to mix and mingle and get to know each other. The venue was beautiful, the food delicious, the flowers on the table simply marvelous, and the mood totally festive. Megan Norwood 02, speaking as a recent grad, says, I think the CoHoNa Ball was a great tradition to bring back for Homecoming 2008! I enjoyed connecting with some of the older alums and hearing about their experiences at HNU. It reinforced my ties to the great HNU community. I look forward to attending future CoHoNa Balls. Luckily she has only another five or so months to wait before the next one.
Sheila Gibson, Professor of Philosophy, and her husband, Phil (73, MS, Math), dance the night away
Guests are warmly welcomed to the Claremont Country Club for the 2008 Alumni Honor Ball of the annual ball was actually a contraction of the College of Holy Names. The Ball was something alumni looked forward to anxiously every year. Last years affair not only marked the rebirth of an annual alumni tradition but also the 140th anniversary of Holy Names University. Some 110 alumni, along with 50-plus alumni guests and over 20 other faculty, staff, and current HNU students gathered at the Claremont Country Club on Saturday,
Sr. Rosemarie Nassif, President; Rosaleen Kelly 55, Ball honorary chairperson; and Julie Echaniz 75, Ball co-chairperson
Members of the Class of 1962, Eileen Brosnan Weston, Sue Thoreson, and Barbara Wisnewski Smith
The style of dancing has changed from the 50s and 60s, but not how much all present enjoyed the event!
Office of Institutional Advancement 3500 Mountain Boulevard Oakland, CA 94619-1699 510-436-1240 www.hnu.edu