Second Annual Tom Caruso Memorial Run Set for Oct. 6
Tom Caruso, MBA ’95, was the type of person people liked immediately. His friends and family describe him as having had kind eyes, a warm heart, a dedicated attitude, an inspiring spirit – and a life cut short. An avid marathon runner, Caruso was training for the Olympic trials when he was struck and killed by a cab in Las Vegas in February 2000.
To honor Caruso and his passion for running, members of the USF community, including the Alumni Board of Governors and the Koret Health and Recreation Center, will sponsor the Second Annual Tom Caruso Memorial 5K Run/Walk on Oct. 6 in the Presidio.
“We wanted an event that represented Tom’s passion for running, involving the community, and that could also be on-going,” said Cortes Saunders, who was vice president when Caruso was president of the MBA Alumni Society.
Dave Tognotti, a friend of Caruso’s since third grade, said Caruso often sacrificed his own goals to help others. For example, while Caruso was running in the San Francisco Marathon, he saw a man assaulting a parking enforcement officer for giving him a ticket because his car was parked on the running course.
“Tom stopped running, went over and held the guy down while the [parking enforcement officer] called the cops,” Tognotti said. “He waited until the cops arrived and then continued with the race. He pretty much killed his time, but that was a typical thing for Tom to do.”
Besides running, Caruso was also passionate about cultures. While at USF, Caruso participated in two School of Business and Management study tours (two-week programs for students to immerse themselves in a country’s culture and business practices). He enjoyed the tours and encouraged others to participate. The Tom Caruso Memorial Run is designed to make these experiences possible for USF students in Caruso’s memory. The proceeds from the memorial run/walk will benefit scholarships for the study tours fund.
The Second Annual Tom Caruso Memorial 5K Run/Walk will take place at 9 a.m. Oct. 6 in the Presidio. For more information and to register, contact Pete Lockhart at (415) 422-2942, email Recsports@usfca.edu or visit www.active.com and type “Tom Caruso” in the search field.
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