The University of San Francisco Alumni Association
honored alumni and friends during its annual Spring Gala
on April 9 at the Olympic Club’s Lakeside Clubhouse replete
with lush views of the greens for the 300 guests in attendance.
Carl Nolte ’55 received the Alumnus of the Year Award. A
fourth-generation San Franciscan, Nolte was USF athletic news
director and director of public information after graduation. He
has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since leaving USF,
and his “Native Son” column appears on Sunday. Nolte has been
a staunch fan of USF men’s basketball since 1953 and continues
to serve on the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
The Professional Achievement Award was presented to five School
of Nursing emeriti faculty who also happen to be USF alumnae.
Together they have logged nearly 160 years of teaching at USF
and have thereby influenced the lives of nurses who have saved
and healed others. Anyone who has graduated from USF’s School
of Nursing in the last six decades certainly knows the accomplishments
of Betty Carmack, EdD ’81, Frances Monet Carter, EdD ’78,
Jane Vincent Corbett, EdD ’85, Eleanor Hein, EdD ’79, and Mary
Brian Kelber, RSM, ’62.
The Alessandri Service Award was presented to a very active
member of our Peninsula-Silicon Valley Regional Council, Sandra
McNamara ’78. Her leadership and tireless efforts as the founder/
chair of the council and now as a continuing member have proven
an invaluable asset in efforts to establish and award regional
scholarships for continuing students.
Gene Mullin ’60, E ’67, has had careers in teaching and in public
service. Whether in front of a group of students in the classroom
or in front of legislative bodies in Sacramento, he was always
focused on enhancing the public good. In recognition of all his
accomplishments, Mullin received the Edward J. Griffin Award.
USF was pleased to present Susan Koret with the Cable Car Award,
given to non-alumni who have by generosity of time, talent, and/or
treasure, promoted the mission and goals of USF and are “alumni
in spirit.” Koret has enjoyed a long association with the University
of San Francisco, where she has chosen to sustain and enhance
the philanthropic legacy of her late husband, Joseph Koret. The
Koret name is prominent on the Koret Health and Recreation
Center and the Koret Law Center at USF’s School of Law.
One final tribute at the end of the evening exemplified the
admiration, gratitude, and love that USF has for Chancellor John
Lo Schiavo, S.J. A brief video tribute featured stories about “Fr.
Lo” from his 60-year association with USF, after which he received
a rousing ovation.
April Action Service Day
(1) Sacramento Regional Council members performed clean-up and
beautification at Cristo Rey High School.
(2) The Peninsula Silicon Valley Regional Council partnered with
St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room in Menlo Park to prepare food
and serve lunch to senior citizens and families in need.
(3) The Southern California Regional Council partnered with St.
Robert’s Center in Venice to prepare and serve food and to
assemble and distribute personal hygiene kits to clients of the
center.
(4, 5) The North Bay Regional Council carried out projects with the
Marin County Parks and Open Space District to do clean-ups of
Bothin Marsh in Mill Valley, and with Giant Steps, a therapeutic
equestrian center serving children and young adults with physical,
behavioral, and developmental challenges in Sonoma County.
Giant Steps was founded by Robert Pope ’61.
(6) The Pacific Northwest Regional Council partnered with People
for Puget Sound in Seattle for environmental clean-up of the
Duwamish River North Wind Wier.
(7) The San Francisco Regional Council partnered with University
Ministry and Urban Sprouts to plant a vegetable garden at Ida B.
Wells School in San Francisco.
(8) Yard clean-up was the order of the day for the East Bay Regional
Council volunteers, who partnered with the North Pleasanton
Rotary and R.E.A.C.H., a nonprofit providing housing and
supportive services to families and young adults with developmental
disabilities.
For information on the 2012 April Action Day, contact Kevin
Leong at (415) 422-5491 or kmleong@usfca.edu.
Lone Mountain Reunion
Lone Mountain alumnae returned to campus October 17 for
their annual reunion and to honor two individuals who have
been instrumental in the ongoing story of the Religious of the
Sacred Heart and the Lone Mountain Alumnae Association.
Gertrude “Trudy” Patch, RSCJ, LM ’47, and Dolores McKeever
Donahue, LM ’52, were honored for their impact on the lives of so
many. Sr. Patch is a former president of the San Francisco College for
Women (later renamed Lone Mountain College) as well as an English
teacher. Donahue has been a long-time volunteer for Lone Mountain
as well as the Convent of the Sacred Heart.
Special recognition was given to the classes of 1950, 1960, and
1970, celebrating milestone reunions.
Reunion activities began with USF Chancellor John Lo Schiavo,
S.J., celebrating Mass in the Del Santo Reading Room at Lone
Mountain, followed by a wine reception and lunch.
Maureen Orth, journalist and contributing writer to Vanity Fair
magazine, was a special guest and spoke after lunch about her life
and philanthropic work in Latin America through her Marina Orth
Foundation. Orth, the widow of Tim Russert, moderator of NBC’s
“Meet the Press,” attended Lone Mountain in 1960-61.
This year’s reunion is scheduled for October 16 and will honor the
classes of 1951, 1961, and 1971.