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The DRAGONMagazine - Bishop O'Dowd High School

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<strong>The</strong><br />

DRAGON<br />

Magazine<br />

<strong>The</strong> Year of the Dragon<br />

Three generations of Dragons, from left to right, Joshua Brown ’12,<br />

Kathy Canty Brown ’84 and Jim Canty ’60<br />

Special Anniversary Issue - Summer 2012


STEPHEN PHELPS, Ed.D.<br />

President<br />

PAMELA SHAY, M. S. A.<br />

Principal<br />

ROMEO BALDEVISO, M.S.<br />

Chief Information Officer<br />

KEVIN CUSHING<br />

Assistant Principal<br />

CHRISTINE GARAVAGLIA, CPA<br />

Chief Financial Officer<br />

BRIAN JUDD, M.S.<br />

Assistant Principal<br />

MICHAEL A. PETRINI, M.A.<br />

Vice President for Advancement<br />

CYNTHIA WOLFE FUNAI, J.D.<br />

Director of Planned Giving<br />

MICHELLE HAWKINS<br />

Director of Development<br />

LISA COFFEY MAHONEY ’76<br />

Director of Communications<br />

NICOLE DEMARAIS SHAW ’81<br />

Director of Marketing<br />

We welcome your comments, questions or suggestions. Please contact<br />

Dragon editor Lisa Coffey Mahoney '76 at (510) 577-9100, ext.<br />

302, or lmahoney@bishopodowd.org.<br />

BOARD OF REGENTS<br />

Evelyn Dilsaver, chairperson, Kerwin Allen, David Bail ’87,<br />

Tom Counts, Denis Ducey, Fr. Leo Edgerly, Ray Galka,<br />

Stephen Ghiglieri ’79, Glen Hentges, Regina Jackson ’80, Paul<br />

Manca, Fr. Jay Matthews, Christopher Ohman, Peter Ross ’83,<br />

Gregory Schopf, Manuel R. Senna, Diane Steccone Smahlik<br />

’62, Edward Vieira-Ducey ’97, Kimberly Walsh and Jim Wolfe<br />

MISSION<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> is a Catholic, coeducational,<br />

college preparatory high school administered by the Diocese<br />

of Oakland. <strong>The</strong> school affirms the teachings, moral values,<br />

and ethical standards of the Catholic Church. It is a unique<br />

and diverse community. <strong>The</strong> faculty and administration strive<br />

to develop young men and women of competence, conscience,<br />

and compassion through an integrated academic, spiritual, and<br />

extracurricular program. <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> seeks to<br />

develop persons of influence who are loving, open to growth,<br />

religious, intellectually competent, and skilled leaders committed<br />

to justice and peace.<br />

Student body president Al<br />

Heeg ’55 (right) and<br />

Beth Sullivan George ’55 were<br />

among the first graduates of<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> <strong>O'Dowd</strong> <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />

2 THE DRAGON


Celebrating 60 Years of Catholic Education<br />

O’Dowd celebrated a very special milestone this school year, the 60th anniversary of the<br />

establishment of the school.<br />

Alumni, past and current faculty members, past and current parents and today’s students gathered<br />

for a wonderful Mass and luncheon in celebration of our<br />

commitment to Catholic education.<br />

We are proud to have been a shining beacon on the hill for six generations of families. With<br />

your support, we will continue to provide the best education possible to prepare our students<br />

for the challenges and opportunities of a new age.<br />

Fittingly, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon.<br />

According to Chinese astrology, Dragon people excel. Here’s to another 60 years of O’Dowd<br />

Dragons making a difference in the world.<br />

Stephen Phelps, Ed.D.<br />

President<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> <strong>O'Dowd</strong> <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

3 THE DRAGON


60 Wonderful Years Celebrated<br />

Alumni from throughout the decades,<br />

past and current faculty and staff, as well<br />

as current students and their families,<br />

gathered on the <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> campus on March 25 to celebrate<br />

the school’s 60th anniversary.<br />

“<strong>The</strong> whole event was first class. So<br />

many alums kept telling me how grateful<br />

they were for the gift of their O’Dowd<br />

education, both academically and for its<br />

values and the self discipline it instilled.<br />

It was clear that O’Dowd’s reputation<br />

of excellence and care came in large part<br />

from the lives and skills of our graduates,”<br />

President Steve Phelps said.<br />

<strong>The</strong> day began with a Mass held in<br />

the large gymnasium concelebrated by<br />

former faculty member and O’Dowd<br />

Regent Fr. Jay Matthews, former faculty<br />

member Fr. Leo Dummer, OMI, and<br />

former principals Fr. Frank Wagner,<br />

OMI, and Fr. Ronald Schwenzer, CSB.<br />

Deacon Earl JOHson ’61 and Boyer and<br />

Joan August, both members of the Class<br />

of 1956, also participated.<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> John Cummins, a former<br />

O’Dowd teacher and dean, and<br />

<strong>The</strong> 60th anniversary Mass was concelebrated by former faculty member and <strong>O'Dowd</strong> Regent<br />

Fr. Jay Matthews, former faculty member Fr. Leo Dummer, OMI, and former principals<br />

Fr. Frank Wagner, OMI, and Fr. Ronald Schwenzer, CSB. Deacon Earl JOHson ’61 and<br />

Boyer and Joan August, both members of the Class of 1956, also participated. Photo by Briana<br />

Loewinsohn.<br />

Enrollment is 120<br />

Tuition and fees $100<br />

4 THE DRAGON<br />

1951 – O’Dowd is established as a co-institutional<br />

high school by the Archdiocese of San Francisco and<br />

opens in facilities provided by St. Louis Bertrand,<br />

with a staff of two diocesan priests and four Adrian<br />

Dominican Sisters. Fr. Mark J. Hurley serves as the first<br />

principal.


Archbishop Francis T. Hurley, brother of<br />

O’Dowd’s first principal Mark Hurley,<br />

were unable to attend due to illness.<br />

Fr. Jay linked the gospel reading<br />

( John 12:24), which discusses the grain<br />

of wheat that dies and bears much fruit,<br />

to the growth of <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> throughout the years.<br />

O’Dowd has been a place for seeds to<br />

grow and germinate, with the Diocesan<br />

priests and Adrian Dominican nuns,<br />

the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the<br />

Basilians, and the current lay leadership<br />

all moving the school forward in a<br />

positive direction, he said.<br />

After Mass, the more than 300 event<br />

attendees enjoyed reminiscing in the<br />

small gym, where a Living Museum<br />

showcasing O’Dowd’s history was<br />

featured. A special display was devoted<br />

to <strong>Bishop</strong> James T. O’Dowd, the<br />

school’s namesake. <strong>The</strong> bishop’s great<br />

nephew, Paul O’Dowd, drove from New<br />

Mexico to join in the celebration.<br />

1952 – Classes<br />

meet for the first<br />

time on the present<br />

campus.<br />

Extensive memorabilia displays in the Living Museum showcased <strong>Bishop</strong> <strong>O'Dowd</strong> <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong>'s history.<br />

Former faculty members attending the event included Cheryl Delahoussaye, Brad Goodhart, Jan<br />

Hagan, Matilda Ignacio, Eva Kastel, Mike Phelps, Joe Salamack and Sharon Stevenson.<br />

Lunch featured a Gold Dragon buffet, a “Dragon Dog” cart, a chocolate fountain, and an ice<br />

cream shop featuring a special commemorative flavor: O’Dowd Overload, made with Fentons vanilla<br />

and chocolate ice creams mixed with Honey Nut Cheerios (representing the “O” in O’Dowd) and<br />

included ribbons of caramel, Score candy bar pieces and malt balls. <strong>The</strong> wine and beer garden was also<br />

a highlight.<br />

Alumni enjoyed entertainment provided by the O’Dowd jazz band and had the opportunity to go<br />

on student-guided tours of the campus.<br />

5 THE DRAGON<br />

Check the O’Dowd<br />

website for photos<br />

and videos of the<br />

60th celebration.<br />

1954 – <strong>The</strong> school’s first<br />

full-length play, “Murder in a<br />

Nunnery,” directed by Father<br />

Poggi, is staged.


Class of 1956 Dedicates Bench in Living Lab<br />

In conjuction with the 60th<br />

celebration, members of the Class of<br />

1956 gathered in the Living Lab, near<br />

the pond, where a bench was installed<br />

in their honor. Crafted from a salvaged<br />

deodor cedar tree that fell in the Oakland<br />

Hills, the bench features a mosaic plaque.<br />

It was more than 10 years ago that the<br />

Class of 1956 donated funds through<br />

their 45th reunion to the then-fledgling<br />

Living Lab project. That money went<br />

towards the planting of many of the first<br />

native trees on the site.<br />

Since O’Dowd just purchased the<br />

land below the reservoir from EBMUD,<br />

and the new Center for Environmental<br />

Studies (CES) will be nestled among<br />

those trees, the school wanted to<br />

acknowledge the Class of 1956 for<br />

both their pioneering tree-planting and<br />

their continued support of greening the<br />

campus five decades later.<br />

In fact, members of those early classes<br />

of the 1950s were also responsible for<br />

planting many of the very first pine trees<br />

on the north side of campus (often as<br />

part of detention duty) which have now<br />

matured into a tall stand adjacent to the<br />

Living Lab.<br />

1955 – First graduating<br />

class<br />

Enrollment 900<br />

Boosters Club and Mothers<br />

Club formed<br />

Class of 1956 members were joined by seniors Hayley Jackson and Josh Proto (seated), and<br />

former faculty member and Chair of the Steering Committee for the CES Tom Tyler, third<br />

from left in back row, in the Living Lab for the bench dedication. Photo by Robin Mortarotti.<br />

6 THE DRAGON<br />

1957-62 - John S.<br />

Cummins serves as faculty<br />

member/dean at O’Dowd<br />

and later becomes the<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> of the Diocese of<br />

Oakland.


<strong>The</strong> bench is located in a peaceful setting, by the pond in the Living Lab. Inset photo shows<br />

the detail of the mosaic. Photos by Tom Tyler.<br />

In celebration of the pioneering alums of the 1950s, a special reception was held<br />

for about 100 ’50s graduates and guests in Dominican Lounge. <strong>The</strong> ’50s folk got<br />

a big kick out of having a party in what they remember as the Dominican Sisters’<br />

community room in the convent!<br />

“It was a pleasure to meet so many grads from the ’50s, hear their early O’Dowd<br />

stories - especially the ones about the mischief they got into that earned them treeplanting<br />

detentions - and thank them in person for their ongoing support of our<br />

beautiful campus,” former faculty member and Chair of the Steering Committee for<br />

the CES Tom Tyler said. Read more about this project on page 24.<br />

1959 – Tuition<br />

and fees $150<br />

1962 – O’Dowd<br />

becomes part of<br />

the newly formed<br />

Diocese of Oakland.<br />

7 THE DRAGON<br />

Frank '56 and Jean Hudson McNamara '56<br />

were the first to test out the new bench.<br />

“I found it most memorable when<br />

we were taken to the north side of the<br />

grounds where there before us, stood<br />

the 60-year-old trees that we planted<br />

as a detention punishment (boys only<br />

of course!). Who thought they would<br />

become such giants?<br />

And then, it was down to the<br />

Living Lab where students, 55 years<br />

our junior, were also planting trees<br />

... but for an entirely different and<br />

perhaps more noble reason.”<br />

1963 – <strong>The</strong> school’s<br />

second (and current) alma<br />

mater is written.<br />

Frank McNamara ’56


On This Rock I Will Build My <strong>School</strong><br />

This photo of the <strong>O'Dowd</strong> campus in 1951 was discovered by Siegel & Strain architect<br />

Karen Richards during her research to determine the siting of the new Center for<br />

Environmental Studies. Read about the CES project on page 24.<br />

Jack Dold<br />

1966 – Missionary Oblates of Mary<br />

Immaculate assume administration of<br />

the school, with Fr. Frank Wagner, OMI,<br />

serving as principal. Jack Dold is the first<br />

lay vice principal of the school, serving<br />

O’Dowd through 1975.<br />

Tuition and fees $210<br />

8 THE DRAGON<br />

Before O’Dowd was a bustling high<br />

school campus, the school property was<br />

a rock quarry, owned by Joseph Catucci,<br />

an excavation, grading and concrete<br />

contractor.<br />

Joseph’s wife, Bella, took over the<br />

company after her husband’s passing in<br />

1939, and kept it going until the mid<br />

1940s.<br />

In 1946, she sold off part of<br />

the property to EBMUD for the<br />

construction of the Seneca Reservoir.<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> was built<br />

in 1951 on the balance of the Catucci<br />

property.<br />

Aerial view of campus in 2007.<br />

1967 – <strong>The</strong> boy’s basketball<br />

team, coached by Frank<br />

LaPorte, posts a 37-2 record<br />

and is voted the designated<br />

state champion.


About <strong>Bishop</strong> James T. O’Dowd<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> is named in memory of the former director of<br />

education at the Archdiocese of San Francisco, <strong>Bishop</strong> James T. O’Dowd. At the time<br />

of his sudden and tragic death in a car accident in 1950, when he was just 42, the<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> was in the process of drawing up plans for a new Catholic high school in the<br />

East Bay.<br />

<strong>The</strong> San Francisco native had a short, yet remarkable career as a priest and<br />

educator. He was ordained a priest on June 4, 1932, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San<br />

Francisco, and his first assignment was serving as assistant pastor at St. Lawrence<br />

O’Toole Church in Oakland.<br />

Archbishop of San Francisco John Joseph Mitty was quick to identify Fr. O’Dowd<br />

as one of his most able and promising priests and sent him to Catholic University<br />

in Washington, D.C., to earn a doctorate in education. Fr. O’Dowd’s dissertation,<br />

“Standardization and its Influence on Catholic Education in the United States,” was<br />

considered the model work in education circles at the time.<br />

Fr. O’Dowd was appointed Assistant Superintendent of <strong>School</strong>s of the Archdiocese<br />

of San Francisco in 1936, and was named Superintendent in 1941. This was a<br />

remarkable achievement for a young priest who was only 34 at the time.<br />

In his tenure as Superintendent, Fr. O’Dowd (who was named a Monsignor<br />

in 1943) helped plan and establish nearly two dozen Catholic schools including<br />

four high schools: Archbishop Riordan <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>; Marin Catholic; Mercy, San<br />

Francisco; and O’Dowd.<br />

He was admired and respected by his colleagues for promoting Catholic education<br />

in the Bay Area and nationwide.<br />

He served as chair for the National Catholic Educational Association’s (NCEA)<br />

California Secondary <strong>School</strong> Department, was a member of the San Francisco<br />

Coordinating Council for Youth Welfare, and served on the Teacher Training<br />

Committee of the California Board of Education. He also served as chariman of the<br />

NCEA national convention that was held in San Francisco in 1948.<br />

He was elevated to <strong>Bishop</strong> on May 27, 1948, and served as pastor of Mission<br />

Dolores.<br />

1968 –<br />

First Crab Feed held<br />

1969 – First<br />

computer on campus,<br />

purchased by Friends<br />

of the Computer.<br />

9 THE DRAGON<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> James T. <strong>O'Dowd</strong>, <strong>Bishop</strong> <strong>O'Dowd</strong><br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>'s namesake.


A New <strong>School</strong>,<br />

A New Method of Instruction<br />

When Archbishop of San Francisco John Joseph Mitty established<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> as a Catholic co-instructional high school<br />

(boys and girls on the same campus, but separated for most activities), the<br />

nation was abuzz about this new method of instruction.<br />

According to a local newspaper article written about O’Dowd’s Jan.<br />

30, 1951, dedication ceremony, the school represented “something new<br />

in American education.”<br />

“This type of school is now being widely copied along the Pacific<br />

Coast. Rev. Mark J. Hurley, Ph.D., principal of <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> has received visitors, many educators from all over the United<br />

States and Europe who were interested in this phase of secondary<br />

education. Among the notable visitors recently were three professors<br />

from Germany, sent under the auspices of the State Department,” reads<br />

the article.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Archdiocese of San Francisco took the lead in establishing coinstructional<br />

high schools with the opening of the first two such schools<br />

in the West – O’Dowd and Marin Catholic.<br />

Throughout the years, O’ Dowd has continued to be at the forefront of<br />

education.<br />

“Our Catholic traditions and beliefs call us to innovate to meet<br />

the religious and education needs of this era,” says O’Dowd President<br />

Stephen Phelps, Ed.D.<br />

1971 – Co-ed<br />

instruction begins<br />

1970 – O’Dowd launches football program, headed by coaches<br />

Joe Vanni and Pat Riley. John Cecconi ’71, Dan Dell’Osso ’71 and<br />

Steve Pena ’71 served as team captains for the inaugural varsity squad.<br />

Environmental science classes introduced<br />

10 THE DRAGON<br />

O’Dowd’s Principals<br />

Fr. Mark J. Hurley (1951-58)<br />

Fr. James F. Maher (1958-61)<br />

Monsigner Pearse P. Donovan (1961-64)<br />

Fr. Joseph F. Keaveny (1964-66)<br />

Fr. Frank Wagner, OMI (1966-72)<br />

Fr. Paul Waldie, OMI (1972-78)<br />

Fr. Ronald Schwenzer, CSB (1978-86)<br />

Fr. Joseph C. Mitrano, CSB (1986-91)<br />

Fr. Richard Ranaletti, CSB (1991-2000)<br />

Fr. Donald J. McLeod, CSB (2000-2005)<br />

Joseph G. Salamack III (2005-2011)<br />

Pamela Shay (2011-present)


Leaders from throughout the decades. Former O’Dowd principals Fr. Ronald Schwenzer, CSB, (1978-1986), far left,Fr. Frank Wagner,<br />

OMI, (1966-1972), second from right, and Joe Salamack (2005-2011), far right, with current O’Dowd Principal Pam Shay at the 60th<br />

anniversary celebration.<br />

1972 –<br />

Tuition and fees<br />

$500<br />

1975 – Graduation<br />

ceremonies moved to the<br />

Paramount <strong>The</strong>atre<br />

11 THE DRAGON<br />

1980 – AP classes<br />

introduced<br />

Campus Ministry Team formed<br />

Development program<br />

established<br />

1978 – Congregation of<br />

St. Basil (Basilians) assume<br />

administration of the school,<br />

with Fr. Ronald Schwenzer, CSB,<br />

serving as principal.


Year of the Dragon<br />

Yes, by now everyone knows that O’Dowd is celebrating its 60th anniversary in the<br />

Year of the Dragon. But did you know that it was exactly 60 years ago that we last<br />

had a “Black Water Dragon?”<br />

<strong>The</strong> mightiest of the signs, the Dragon occupies the 5th position in the Chinese<br />

Zodiac, and there are five different Dragons: Black Water Dragon (Years 1952 and<br />

2012); Metal Dragon (Years 1940 and 2000); Wood Dragon (Years 1904 and 1964);<br />

Fire Dragon (Years 1916 and 1976); and Earth Dragon (Years 1928 and 1988).<br />

Dragon artwork created by Denys Cazet '56<br />

1981 –Tuition and fees $1,220<br />

Men’s basketball team wins state championship<br />

Girls no longer required to wear uniforms<br />

Today's Dragon<br />

12 THE DRAGON<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd designed<br />

his coat of arms with his motto<br />

“Cor Unum in Christo.” <strong>The</strong><br />

star represents his childhood<br />

parish, Star of the Sea.


A Sampling of the Original Rules of<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

Appearance<br />

• Students must take reasonable pride in their personal appearance and dress as<br />

befits Catholic school students. Accordingly, for boys, T-shirts or jeans may not be<br />

worn to school. Writing of any kind is not to appear on trousers, jackets or other articles<br />

of clothing.<br />

• Girls will wear the school uniform, with white saddle shoes and white sox.<br />

• Boys Attire: If sport shirts are worn, no tie is necessary. If dress shirts are worn, then<br />

a tie must be worn at all times. Shoes must be clean and shined. Greys, slacks, etc.,<br />

must be pressed and cleaned. Belts must be worn.<br />

• ALL - No taps or metal tips of any kind may be worn on the soles or heels<br />

of shoes at any time.<br />

Disciplinary Measures<br />

• Weekly detention periods will be held for students whose general conduct is unsatisfactory.<br />

This includes habitual tardiness and lack of cooperation.<br />

• In grave cases, students may be required to report to school on Saturdays or holidays.<br />

Behavior<br />

• Smoking while wearing the uniform of the school is looked upon with disfavor by the<br />

authorities of the school. Any student repeatedly violating this regulation will be subject<br />

to severe penalties.<br />

• Out of Bounds: No student traveling to or from school may enter any creamery, soda<br />

fountain, soft drink parlor, recreation rooms and similar public places on MacArthur<br />

Blvd., between 80th and 105th Ave., or on East 14th St., between 82nd and 99th Ave.<br />

1985 – Groundbreaking<br />

for the Learning Resource<br />

Center, which doubled the<br />

size of the library, made<br />

possible by the successful<br />

Library Learning Center<br />

Campaign.<br />

Lacrosse introduced as a<br />

sport<br />

1986 - Tuition<br />

and fees $2,600<br />

1991 - Elevator<br />

added<br />

13 THE DRAGON<br />

1992 – Fr. Richard<br />

Ranalleti, CSB, becomes<br />

principal and will become<br />

the longest serving leader<br />

of O’Dowd, heading the<br />

school until 2000.<br />

1993 – Two-story, 10-classroom<br />

addition replaces portables<br />

Last of the Adrian Dominican nuns,<br />

Sister Katharine Emery (Sr. Mary<br />

Xavier), leaves O’Dowd.<br />

Prayer in Honor<br />

of O’Dowd’s<br />

60th Anniversary<br />

Belief in every student<br />

Intellectually challenging<br />

Service to others<br />

Hopeful futures<br />

One community<br />

Precious memories<br />

Opportunities<br />

Dedicated faculty<br />

Once in a lifetime experiences<br />

Working together<br />

Dragon pride<br />

By Emma Cronin ’13


Leading in a Changing World the Summer of Love, the assassinations<br />

Jack Dold<br />

Faculty member 1963-1974<br />

Jack Dold joined the <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd<br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> faculty in 1963, and in 1967<br />

became the first lay vice principal of the<br />

school. It was a time of great change at<br />

O’Dowd. <strong>The</strong> diocesan priests had just<br />

been replaced by the Oblates of Mary<br />

Immaculate (OMI), led by Fr. Frank<br />

Wagner. “Everyone in the administration<br />

was new, and we had a grand time<br />

figuring out how to keep the school’s<br />

traditions and yet modernize,” he said.<br />

Jack said there were some existing<br />

rules that made no sense. Classes were<br />

separated by sex, except for a few upper division language courses that had very small<br />

numbers. No talking was allowed in the halls between classes. <strong>The</strong> girls had different<br />

colored pastel blouses for each grade. No jackets were allowed in the classrooms and<br />

no ball point pens.<br />

“<strong>The</strong>re was a book that was filled with rules that could not be understood, much<br />

less defended. I remember sitting in our meetings reading that rulebook. If we<br />

couldn’t understand something or couldn’t defend it, it was thrown out, resulting in a<br />

streamlined new code for student behavior. Discipline is fine, essential for any school,<br />

but rules that even the administration couldn’t understand, much less the students,<br />

made no sense at all,” he said.<br />

Change was also taking place in the greater world, Jack noted. “Those kids grew<br />

up in one of the most turbulent times in American history. <strong>The</strong>y wandered into high<br />

school floating on the songs of the Beatles and they rocked out with Woodstock,” he<br />

said.<br />

Significant events that took place at this time included the Free Speech Movement,<br />

riots in Chicago, Detroit, Newark and Watts, the founding of the Black Panthers,<br />

1998 - Tuition<br />

and fees $5,875<br />

2000 - Living Lab<br />

constructed<br />

Performing Arts Center opens<br />

First science field research trip<br />

to Costa Rica<br />

14 THE DRAGON<br />

of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby<br />

Kennedy, Vietnam protests, and the<br />

creation of People’s Park.<br />

“That last half-decade of the 1960s<br />

was one of the most pivotal periods in<br />

American history. <strong>The</strong>y were years filled<br />

with innovation, artistic revolution,<br />

violence and protest, drugs, family<br />

upheaval, with rage coming from just<br />

about every facet of society,” Jack said. “I<br />

felt at times that the school, by necessity,<br />

had to be a place of stability in a storm<br />

that was changing our world right before<br />

our eyes.”<br />

O’Dowd was the center of the social<br />

as well as professional lives of the faculty,<br />

Jack said. “<strong>The</strong> faculty attended every<br />

event - dances, basketball games, awards<br />

events, and more. I think it made the<br />

faculty and students very close,” he said.<br />

“My years at O’Dowd are among the<br />

happiest of my life, years when I could<br />

actually make a difference with many of<br />

those students.”<br />

Jack and some of those students<br />

made a difference with the campus<br />

as well. “Many of the old pine trees<br />

on the back hill were planted by the<br />

Saturday detention boys. <strong>The</strong>re was a<br />

nurseryman, Frank Ogawa, who kept me<br />

supplied with root-bound trees which we<br />

stuck out on the hills. As I say, it was a<br />

different era!”<br />

2001 - First science field<br />

research trip to the Galapagos


Celebration Attendees<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> James T. <strong>O'Dowd</strong>'s great nephew,<br />

Paul O’Dowd, drove from New Mexico<br />

to join in the celebration. He was warmly<br />

welcomed when introduced during Mass.<br />

2003- All-weather sports field and<br />

polyurethane track installed<br />

From left to right, classmates Barbara<br />

Moeller Bischoff '75, Ann Brekke Yungert '75,<br />

and Bridget McBride Belick '75 enjoyed<br />

catching up.<br />

15 THE DRAGON<br />

Former faculty member Fr. Leo Dummer,<br />

left, and <strong>O'Dowd</strong> parent Jeff Jorgensen<br />

listened to the Jazz Band perform.<br />

2004 – Gymnasium<br />

locker room facilities<br />

renovated, with Friends<br />

of the Dragon assisting<br />

in fundraising.<br />

O’Dowd Drama<br />

wins Ohlone Festival<br />

Sweepstakes award.<br />

Tuition and fees<br />

$10,050


Planting Seeds of<br />

Environmental Advocacy<br />

Brad Goodhart<br />

Faculty member 1968-1997<br />

Brad Goodhart arrived at O’Dowd in<br />

1968, straight from St. Mary’s College,<br />

and taught English, Geometry and<br />

Algebra for the princely sum of $4,600<br />

a year. He began teaching biology the<br />

following year, and, along with history<br />

teacher Sheryl Johnson, taught the first<br />

AP courses offered at O’Dowd. “Teaching<br />

was wonderful. <strong>The</strong> students were<br />

friendly, open and willing/eager to learn,”<br />

he said.<br />

Later, Goodhart led a committed<br />

group of students in the planting of<br />

tiny 10-inch seedling pine trees on the<br />

steep east slope of campus. This group<br />

became the Ecology Club and recycled<br />

tons of glass and aluminum long before<br />

the City of Oakland initiated formalized<br />

recycling. “We were the most active<br />

environmental high school group in the<br />

Bay Area,” Goodhart said.<br />

In addition to on campus activities, the Ecology Club went on camping trips in<br />

Yosemite and Mendocino, and engaged in litter cleanups in Redwood Regional Park,<br />

in the Sierra foothills and in the Gold country.<br />

Goodhart recalled the excitement of watching O’Dowd basketball games.<br />

“<strong>The</strong> basketball teams were legendary. A packed house watched in the boy’s gym,<br />

while hundreds more crowded into the girl’s gym just to watch on TV screens and<br />

contribute their cheers at every basket,” he said. “Frank LaPorte, Al Ferreira and<br />

2005 – President/principal model of<br />

governance introduced, with Dr. Stephen<br />

Phelps serving as the school’s first president.<br />

Joe Salamack appointed first lay principal of<br />

O’Dowd.<br />

16 THE DRAGON<br />

Mike Phelps were extraordinary. Everyone<br />

expected excellence. We almost felt the<br />

season didn’t start until we had won the<br />

league and headed to the CIF playoffs.”<br />

When Goodhart married in Chabot<br />

Park in 1970, then Principal Fr. Wagner<br />

concelebrated the wedding Mass with<br />

the O’Dowd Chaplin, Fr. Harris. Dozens<br />

of students were in attendance. “That<br />

morning some students and I loaded all of<br />

the tables and chairs from the cafeteria and<br />

moved them to the wedding/reception site,”<br />

he said.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Adventure Never Stops<br />

Goodhart says as his fascination with<br />

wildlife grew, he developed a whalewatching<br />

business that often used as<br />

many as three boats simultaneously to<br />

take thousands of people from all over<br />

the Bay Area out to sea for their first<br />

encounter with the migrating gray whales.<br />

“This expanded into whale watching with<br />

humpback whales in Hawaii and Beluga<br />

and Blue Whales in Canada,” he said.<br />

“From there, I moved to safaris in<br />

Africa, exploring new locations and<br />

eventually leading over 100 trips to<br />

see the endangered Mountain Gorilla<br />

in the mountains of the Congo (then<br />

Zaire), Uganda and troubled Rwanda. I<br />

also led many tours throughout Kenya,<br />

Uganda, Tanzania and more recently<br />

Ethiopia and Madagascar,” he said.<br />

Jane Goodall visits campus and the Living Lab.


Recently, Goodhart’s travels have taken<br />

him to Guatamala, Mexico, Belize, the<br />

Galapagos Islands, Peru, Ecuador, and<br />

Trinidad and Tobago.<br />

“Because of my experiences with wartorn<br />

and AIDS ridden communities in<br />

Africa I have taken a position on the<br />

board of directors of the African Orphans<br />

Foundation, which provides essential aid<br />

to orphaned girls for food, clothes and<br />

education. We are a small organization but<br />

very effective. None of us involved take a<br />

penny in pay or expenses. We have met<br />

every one of the girls personally and check<br />

in on them as often as possible. <strong>The</strong> AOF<br />

has made a real difference in the lives of<br />

these girls,” he said.<br />

Goodhart currently teaches at<br />

Geyserville <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>. His classes<br />

include biology, AP biology, chemistry,<br />

physics, astronomy, marine biology, AP<br />

English Literature, science fiction and test<br />

prep for the CAHSEE and SAT.<br />

His link with O’Dowd has continued,<br />

however, as he regularly teaches SAT prep<br />

classes on campus. “It’s an opportunity<br />

to see old faculty, friends, and old<br />

students. Actually I am the old one, but<br />

now in almost every SAT class there will be<br />

students whose parents were my students<br />

in that very same classroom (204) 20, 30, or<br />

40 years ago. It is always great to reconnect,<br />

even if only briefly, with the O’Dowd<br />

community I value,” he said.<br />

Ice Cream Anyone?<br />

60th anniversary guests Pamela Emerson '78, Michele Kinchen '78 and Ron Enos '55<br />

enjoyed a special commemorative ice cream flavor, <strong>O'Dowd</strong> Overload, created by Fentons. It<br />

was a blend of vanilla and chocolate ice creams mixed with Honey Nut Cheerios (representing<br />

the “O” in O’Dowd) and included ribbons of caramel, Score candy bar pieces and malt<br />

balls. Yummy!<br />

2006 – First immersion trip to Mexico<br />

Service Learning Program established<br />

Students begin participating in Yosemite<br />

Institute residential environmental<br />

education program.<br />

17 THE DRAGON


Memories of My Years at <strong>Bishop</strong><br />

O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

2007 - 1-1 laptop program introduced<br />

Renaissance Campaign launched<br />

Eva Kastel<br />

Faculty member 1968-2000<br />

One would hardly recognize life at <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> as it was<br />

in 1968 when I joined the faculty. Boys and girls attended separate classes,<br />

the former taught by priests, the latter by nuns, with a handful of lay teachers,<br />

such as myself. Between classes, a hush went through the halls as students<br />

went from one class room to the next. <strong>The</strong>y were not allowed to talk, to speak<br />

to each other. This atmosphere must seem scary or weird to you now, with<br />

no nuns or priests on campus, with co-ed classes, with a relaxed dress code,<br />

and open meetings during break and lunch times. Don’t even think about<br />

hugging or kissing your girl/boy friend then! Much has changed, but change<br />

has not hurt, indeed has improved the life of the students at O’Dowd without<br />

sacrificing the school’s, or the students’ academic and athletic success.<br />

One of the changes occurred in 1970: students were now allowed to talk<br />

while walking the halls. Another change happened in l972, when classes<br />

became co-ed. That integration took place gradually. First all religion classes<br />

went co-ed, followed by the enrichment and academic classes. Although each<br />

new arrangement took some time to be considered “normal,” eventually both<br />

boys and girls felt as equals, in many ways, both in the classroom and outside.<br />

Another change, though, took years to be accomplished: it concerned<br />

the dress code. <strong>The</strong> rules for boys were strict when looked at from today’s<br />

perspective. No jeans or denims (“patch pocket pants”), a shirt with a collar,<br />

no tennis shoes. <strong>The</strong> hair had to be kept cut, above the ears, although that rule<br />

became almost impossible to enforce with the advent of the Beatles.<br />

<strong>The</strong> girls, in contrast, had to adhere to a rigid dress code. <strong>The</strong>ir uniforms<br />

consisted of a white blouse, a checkered blue and white skirt that had to go – oh yes – quite a bit below the knees, a rule<br />

that they hated. I remember girls rolling up their skirts at the waist until they became miniskirts. After all, they were<br />

modern girls, and miniskirts where “in!” But don't let any one in charge, particularly a nun, see them! In fact, if a girl<br />

2008 – Implementation of the school’s Charism<br />

Kairos retreats introduced<br />

First science field research trip to Montana<br />

18 THE DRAGON


wanted to show her individuality by just adding a belt, or<br />

any other “unauthorized” adornment, she got detention.<br />

Once a month was “free dress day,” when the uniforms<br />

had to be cleaned. You should have seen the girls prancing<br />

in their most fashionable and expensive dresses. Show<br />

offs, and how! <strong>The</strong>y had to make up for a month of<br />

wearing the hated uniform.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n, the question arose whether girls may wear pants.<br />

I am not sure when permission was granted and the issue<br />

finally resolved, but the yearbook of l970 still shows the<br />

girls wearing skirts. However, skirts or pants, the uniform<br />

rule still existed, but was, however, discussed frequently<br />

among the faculty. Some of us were aware of the injustice,<br />

the difference in code for boys and girls, and we fought.<br />

Yet, it was not until 1981 that girls could shed their<br />

uniforms. You cannot imagine how many meetings were<br />

held until faculty, then still mostly nuns and priests, and<br />

parents agreed to give up the uniform rules for girls.<br />

Girls still were held to that strict dress code before<br />

they were allowed to dress according to their taste, yet<br />

with some restrictions, similar to those of boys. <strong>The</strong>re<br />

was resistance from some parents and even some female<br />

students. With uniforms, one did not have to think what<br />

to wear. From the parents you heard that uniforms saved O’Dowd’s female students were required to wear uniforms until 1981,<br />

money. However, what about equality – since the boys’ while boys simply had a dress code. Eva Kastel vividly remembers heated<br />

code was less rigid – and individuality?<br />

debates about this difference. This photo, from 1965, shows how formal the<br />

Finally, uniforms were out, but it took a long time. early uniforms were.<br />

Look at your student body now. Progress has won out!<br />

Changes have improved conditions for all at O’Dowd<br />

since my first teaching class in l968 and my retirement in the<br />

year 2000. When I visit the campus now, I see that many more<br />

changes have occurred since then. Life goes on, life changes, and<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> does never lag behind!<br />

2009 – $10 million remodeling of all classrooms completed<br />

State-of-the-art AP Chemistry laboratory/classroom constructed<br />

Digital music class introduced<br />

Lights installed on athletic fields<br />

O’Dowd is the first school to hold its Baccalaureate Mass at the<br />

Cathedral of Christ the Light<br />

2,195 donors contribute to<br />

Renaissance Campaign’s success<br />

19 THE DRAGON


<strong>The</strong> O’Dowd Legacy:<br />

60 Years of Transforming Lives<br />

By Michael Petrini<br />

Vice President for Advancement<br />

Wondering if supporting O’Dowd’s scholarship program really<br />

makes a difference?<br />

<strong>The</strong> answer – absolutely.<br />

Just ask Sr. Judith Lynn ’60 and Richard Longrus Jr. ’12. Whether<br />

it is right now or the late 50s, without financial assistance, neither Sr.<br />

Judy nor Richard would have been able to continue to experience the<br />

empowering benefits of an O’Dowd education.<br />

What it comes down to is this: <strong>The</strong> best high school education in<br />

the country occurs at Catholic schools. And among Catholic high<br />

schools, O’Dowd is among the best of the best.<br />

Your scholarship support is transformational for so many deserving<br />

young people. It gets them into O’Dowd – where they grow<br />

intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually, where they make<br />

life-long friendships and prepare for life – and it sees them through<br />

O’Dowd – preparing them for college and careers, family life and active<br />

citizenship.<br />

Transformational? Absolutely.<br />

20 THE DRAGON<br />

YOUR GIFT TRANSFORMS LIVES<br />

“I can’t wait to be able to<br />

give back to this amazing<br />

community that has<br />

given me so much.”<br />

Richard Longrus Jr. ’12<br />

“I hope that O’Dowd<br />

always accepts kids<br />

who may not have<br />

the ability to pay, but<br />

have the potential to<br />

be leaders in the<br />

community and make<br />

a difference.”<br />

Sister Judith Lynn ’60<br />

2010 - Rugby introduced as a sport<br />

First science field research trip to the Sea of Cortez, Mexico<br />

O’Dowd Debate wins state title in parliamentary debate


<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd<br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

95%<br />

<strong>The</strong> O’Dowd Advantage<br />

60 Years of Transformational Catholic Education<br />

85% 64% 56% 44%<br />

Catholic <strong>School</strong>s<br />

2011 – Pam Shay<br />

appointed first female<br />

principal of O’Dowd.<br />

Tuition and fees - $14,840<br />

Enrollment 1,125<br />

percentage of high school graduates likely to<br />

attend four-year colleges<br />

Faculty and staff of 125, and<br />

75+ part-time coaches and<br />

moderators<br />

other religious<br />

schools<br />

21 THE DRAGON<br />

Catholic secondary schools offer<br />

unparalleled college preparatory education.<br />

A recent study by the National Catholic<br />

Educational Association found that<br />

students who attend Catholic high schools<br />

are more likely to attend four-year colleges<br />

than students who attend other types of<br />

schools.<br />

non-sectarian<br />

private schools public schools<br />

Source: NCEA<br />

Other recent studies have demonstrated that, compared with public schools, Catholic schools...<br />

• are remarkably successful at erasing the achievement gap for low income and minority students.<br />

• produce graduates whose lifetime earnings are greater than their public school counterparts, which translates<br />

into greater state and local tax revenues.<br />

• graduate active citizens who are more tolerant of diverse views, more likely to vote and be critically engaged,<br />

and more involved in community service.<br />

Including community colleges, virtually all O’Dowd graduates go on to college, and nearly 60 percent of<br />

O’Dowd graduates are admitted to the University of California system, the highest percentage of any public<br />

or Catholic school in the East Bay.<br />

2012 – <strong>The</strong><br />

women’s basketball<br />

team wins state<br />

championship, and<br />

is ranked 7th in the<br />

nation.


State Champions!<br />

Photo by Shavon Jennings<br />

22 THE DRAGON


24<br />

25<br />

38<br />

23 THE DRAGON<br />

<strong>The</strong> Dragon<br />

<strong>The</strong> Alumni Magazine<br />

of <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

In this issue<br />

Summer 2012<br />

24 Center For Environmental Studies Project Moving Ahead<br />

25 Personalized Learning at O’Dowd<br />

26 Amy Grant Ahlers ’91 Provides Wake Up Call<br />

28 Ecologist Mary Cadenasso ’83 Explores Urban Systems<br />

30 Dan Dell’Osso ’71 Advocating for Justice<br />

32 Philanthropy Profile: Tim and Judy Logan Smith ’64<br />

33-37 Alumni News<br />

34 Alums Support O’Dowd Scholars Program<br />

38 Sports<br />

40 Crab & Pasta Feed<br />

42 O’Dowd President Steve Phelps Inducted Into<br />

San Francisco CYO Athletics Hall of Fame<br />

42 We’d Love to Hear From You!<br />

43 In Memoriam<br />

44 Double the Difference


Center for Environmental Studies<br />

Project Moving Ahead<br />

By Tom Tyler<br />

Chair of the Steering Committee<br />

for the CES<br />

Following an extensive design process<br />

involving teachers, students, parents and<br />

alumni, under the guidance of Siegel<br />

& Strain Architects, the first full-scale<br />

color drawings for the new Center for<br />

Environmental Studies were unveiled<br />

in April. <strong>The</strong>se architectural renderings<br />

were crafted by Barney Davidge, an<br />

accomplished local illustrator who<br />

specializes in bringing schematic drawings<br />

to life.<br />

On the north hillside of the campus<br />

overlooking stunning views of the Bay,<br />

home for the new building will be in the<br />

Living Lab, our widely acclaimed 4.5-acre<br />

garden, wildlife habitat and ecological<br />

study area. <strong>The</strong> Center will feature two<br />

large indoor laboratory classrooms and a<br />

single large covered outdoor classroom;<br />

ample space for study, experimentation,<br />

research and group gatherings; office,<br />

restroom and storage facilities; a mobile<br />

kitchen, pizza oven/barbecue and fire<br />

circle; and a greenhouse.<br />

Designed to maximize natural lighting<br />

and ventilation while being extremely<br />

energy efficient, the building offers the<br />

flexibility of an indoor/outdoor learning<br />

environment. North-facing walls will<br />

open out into the adjacent tree-covered<br />

hillside and the west-facing wall onto the<br />

large open terrace. Built to the highest<br />

“green” building standard – LEED<br />

(Leadership in Energy and Environmental<br />

Design) Platinum – the Center will<br />

receive most of its power from roofmounted<br />

photovoltaic panels and will<br />

collect and store rainwater in large on-<br />

site cisterns. <strong>The</strong> south-facing wall will be cooled by a “living lattice” of plant life and<br />

feature high-angle clerestory windows.<br />

Celebrating O’Dowd’s commitment to “kinship with creation,” curriculum offered<br />

in the Center will emphasize hands-on learning and the latest technology to promote<br />

environmental literacy and stewardship. Working in partnership with UC Berkeley<br />

and Stanford University, the Center will help prepare our graduates for careers in such<br />

fast-growing fields as renewable energy, resource management and environmental<br />

engineering. And the Center’s grand mission? To inspire and ready our students to<br />

become leaders and innovators in solving the world’s most pressing environmental<br />

challenges.<br />

Anticipated ground-breaking for the Center is spring of 2013, with the expectation<br />

that the facility will be ready for students and teachers the following spring. With<br />

an anticipated cost of between $2.3 and $2.7 million, fundraising for the Center for<br />

Environmental Studies has begun in earnest.<br />

To learn more about the Center and the Living Lab, go to the “CES” link on the<br />

home page of our website, www.bishopodowd.org.<br />

To help bring the Center to life, please contact Vice President for Advancement<br />

Michael Petrini at mpetrini@bishopodowd.org, or go to the “Giving” link on the home<br />

page of the website.<br />

Artist rendering of the Center for Environmental Studies. Fundraising is now underway,<br />

with groundbreaking anticipated in spring 2013.<br />

24 THE DRAGON


By Romeo Baldeviso, M.S.<br />

Chief Information Officer<br />

Personalized Learning at O’Dowd<br />

A quiet revolution is happening at O’Dowd which mirrors what’s occuring in<br />

schools across the country – the use of technology, in particular the use of connected<br />

devices and educational applications, is allowing students to “personalize” their<br />

learning. <strong>The</strong>se laptops, netbooks, tablets and smartphones, combined with the<br />

ubiquity and access to educational applications, are not only an integral part of<br />

the learning culture at O’Dowd but a way for students to customize their learning<br />

experience to increase engagement and improve understanding.<br />

At O’Dowd, personalized learning starts with the option for students to choose<br />

their own laptops. Students can purchase a laptop from the school or bring their own<br />

laptop which meets the minimum system requirements required by the school. Half<br />

of the Class of 2016 purchased a laptop from O’Dowd and the other half chose to<br />

bring their own laptops to school (MacBooks, Sony, Dell, and HP to name a few).<br />

Also, O’Dowd is currently running a pilot study to determine if tablet devices<br />

(Apple iPads, Toshiba Thrive, and Samsung Galaxy) can completely replace the<br />

student’s laptop. So far, the data and evidence from the pilot study indicates that tablet<br />

devices are an ideal companion device to the laptop but not yet a replacement. But<br />

change is accelerating. By 2020, mobile devices will be the primary connection tool<br />

to the Internet for most people in the world. <strong>The</strong> day will come when mobile devices<br />

will replace the laptop and O’Dowd is uniquely positioned for this coming shift. In<br />

the meantime, students are encouraged to use tablet devices as a companion to their<br />

laptops to further enhance the personalized learning experience.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are many reasons why O’Dowd is thrilled about the prospect of bring<br />

your own device (BYOD) on campus. Advances in networking and cloud-based<br />

computing are allowing students to access the same information and perform<br />

the same tasks from almost any connected device. O’Dowd students use Gmail<br />

to communicate with their teachers and Google Apps to collaborate on school<br />

assignments. Evernote, another cloud-based application, is used by many O’Dowd<br />

students to take notes and organize their notebooks. Students also use Dropbox to<br />

save and bring their documents, videos and photos anywhere and share them easily. As<br />

proliferation of these cloud-based applications increase, students will have the option<br />

to choose the best application suited to their learning style. At O’Dowd, it is not<br />

uncommon in a typical class for students to use different tools (Microsoft PowerPoint<br />

for Windows or Keynote for Mac and iPad) to complete the same assignment. <strong>The</strong><br />

tool itself becomes less significant as long as the final outcome can be achieved. In<br />

the spring of 2012, O’Dowd launched “O’Dowd Mobile” for smartphones, iPad, and<br />

Android devices. “O’Dowd Mobile” features campus news, maps, videos, pictures,<br />

events, faculty/staff directory, Power<strong>School</strong> and Blackboard. As the variety and<br />

flexibility of these tools increase, so does the opportunity for personalized learning<br />

and engagement.<br />

Another aspect of personalized learning at O’Dowd is the notion of the 24/7<br />

classroom. Blackboard, O’Dowd’s web-based course management system, allows<br />

students to access course information, view and replay lectures, obtain class handouts<br />

and documents, participate in online discussions or live real-time sessions, and access a<br />

25 THE DRAGON<br />

<strong>The</strong> main icon for <strong>O'Dowd</strong> Mobile, which<br />

features campus news, maps, videos, pictures,<br />

events, faculty/staff directory, Power<strong>School</strong><br />

and Blackboard.<br />

rich variety of multi-media resources. All<br />

O’Dowd teachers maintain a Blackboard<br />

classroom with standardized content<br />

areas and unified navigation cues that<br />

are familiar to all students. At O’Dowd,<br />

students also experience a flipped<br />

classroom where they listen and view a<br />

new lesson online and come to class the<br />

next day and apply the new concepts<br />

with their teacher and peers. This allows<br />

students to focus on their individual<br />

learning and get the specific help they<br />

need. Blackboard is also used to help<br />

O’Dowd students during off-campus<br />

hours. BOLT! (Blackboard Online Live<br />

Tutoring) is available Sunday through<br />

Thursday evenings, from 8 p.m. to 9<br />

p.m. <strong>The</strong>se live sessions are staffed by<br />

peer tutors and monitored by an adult.<br />

Also, the pioneering efforts and growth<br />

of online classes at O’Dowd continues to<br />

accelerate as teachers incorporate an ever<br />

increasing amount and variety of digital<br />

resources into the curriculum.<br />

"Personalized Learning" continued on page 27


Alumni Spotlight<br />

Amy Grant Ahlers ’91<br />

Amy Grant Ahlers ’91 cringes when<br />

she hears women berate themselves<br />

for not “measuring up.”<br />

A certified life coach, Ahlers is<br />

committed to inspiring women to<br />

rise above the nonstop chorus of<br />

criticism swirling in their heads. “This<br />

internal battle eats away at self-love,<br />

self-worth, and self-esteem, leading to<br />

depression, dissatisfaction, decreased<br />

productivity and heart-stopping<br />

stress,” she said.<br />

Ahlers, 38, recently published “Big<br />

Fat Lies Women Tell <strong>The</strong>mselves:<br />

Ditch Your Inner Critic and Wake<br />

Up Your Inner Superstar,” a book that<br />

examines 59 common esteem-busting<br />

lies women tell themselves. <strong>The</strong> book<br />

offers women tools to rebut the “Inner<br />

Critic,” or “Inner Mean Girl,” and<br />

connect with their “Inner Wisdom.”<br />

“<strong>The</strong> most important relationship<br />

in your life is your relationship with<br />

you. And, most of us are not doing<br />

so hot. We are incredibly, intensely<br />

hard on ourselves, and that stinks.<br />

We think that if we were just<br />

accomplished enough, thin enough,<br />

beautiful enough, or rich enough that<br />

we could then magically shift our<br />

internal dialogue into an empowering,<br />

nurturing, loving one.<br />

“But after more than 11 years<br />

of coaching women from every<br />

conceivable walk of life, I finally got it:<br />

women are really hard on themselves<br />

despite their external circumstances.<br />

We all engage in beating ourselves<br />

up both for the big things and for<br />

the tiniest imperfections. And it isn’t<br />

helping us become more successful,<br />

or to feel more fulfilled, or even to get<br />

more done,” she said.<br />

Ahlers says her book doesn’t just<br />

talk about the problem, but gives<br />

immediate, bite-size solutions for<br />

Provides Wake-Up Call<br />

26 THE DRAGON<br />

“<strong>The</strong> most important relationship in your life is your<br />

relationship with you.”<br />

Amy Grant Ahlers ’91<br />

Life Coach and Author<br />

readers. “It’s been exciting for me to see that the book is having a<br />

positive impact,” she said.<br />

Published in October, “Big Fat Lies” reached #1 in Self-Help<br />

and #39 overall on Amazon.<br />

A Foundation For Life Coaching<br />

Ahlers credits her experiences on the O’Dowd Campus Ministry<br />

Team, helping organize and facilitate the junior and senior retreats<br />

in particular, with having a dramatic impact on her career. “I think<br />

I draw upon the skills I learned in CMT the most in my work as a<br />

coach,” she said.<br />

O’Dowd drama also played a big part in her life. “I was in several<br />

plays a year and the experience was just remarkable,” she said. “One<br />

of the things that I loved most about participating in drama was it<br />

didn’t matter what grade you were in, what your background was,<br />

or what race you were. When you got into that classroom there was<br />

just this feeling of true community,” she said.


Getting Started<br />

After attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for two years, Ahlers majored in drama<br />

at UC Irvine. She worked in online media sales for several years before earning the<br />

CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach) designation from the Coaches<br />

Training Institute. She is also a Bigger Game (leadership/growth/change model)<br />

certified coach, is a certified business advisor from OneCoach, and is a master coach<br />

equivalent.<br />

“I went to an introductory course about life coaching in 2000, and I immediately<br />

knew I had found my calling,” Ahlers said.<br />

Today, Ahlers is the CEO of Wake-Up Call Coaching, which offers a variety of<br />

coaching services, and the co-creator, with Christine Arylo, of Inner Mean Girl<br />

Reform <strong>School</strong>, a 10-session course that helps women replace negative beliefs with<br />

empowering affirmations. She also offers goal setting courses.<br />

Life Coaching 101<br />

Life coaching is, at the core, helping people set goals and reach them, Ahlers<br />

explains.<br />

Ahlers works with people seeking clarity about their goals, as well as those who<br />

have defined their goals but are having trouble achieving them.<br />

Radically changed workplace paradigms and the continuing economic crisis have<br />

resulted in an increased demand for life coaching, according to Ahlers.<br />

For example, Ahlers says she is currently working with several doctors who are fed<br />

up with the changes in the health care industry.<br />

“With their workloads they are only able to spend a few minutes with each patient<br />

and aren’t having the impact they want to have,” she said.<br />

“With the external structures crumbling, people are looking inward and trying to<br />

figure out how they can be true to themselves, find meaning and fulfillment, and also<br />

make a difference in the world,” she added<br />

Not for Everyone<br />

Ahlers acknowledges that life coaching isn’t for everyone. “You need to believe in<br />

the power of coaching in order for it to work for you,” she said.<br />

“You can get where you want to go without a coach, but you’ll get there faster if you<br />

have a coach,” she said. “It’s just like joining a gym. If you go to the gym, you’ll get<br />

results, but if you work with a trainer you will probably get the results faster.”<br />

Making a Difference<br />

Ahlers says the most rewarding part of her job is making a difference in the lives of<br />

others. Recently she worked with a young woman who was struggling on a number of<br />

fronts – in a personal relationship, with work, and with friends.<br />

Throughout the course of coaching, the woman was able to end the personal<br />

relationship, find a new, more satisfying job, and forge a new community of friends.<br />

“She came up to me with tears in her eyes at a recent retreat and said I had<br />

completely changed her life,” Ahlers said. “She had these tangible results, and<br />

the intangible result of really feeling happy in her life. It is very humbling and<br />

acknowledging to receive feedback like this.”<br />

An Oakland resident, Ahlers and her husband, Rob, have a four-year-old daughter,<br />

Annabella.<br />

In her free time, Ahlers enjoys running in the Oakland hills and spending time<br />

27 THE DRAGON<br />

with family and friends.<br />

For more information about<br />

Ahlers and her work visit www.<br />

wakeupcallcoaching.com.<br />

And you can visit www.<br />

BigFatLiesBook.com to receive<br />

information about her book.<br />

Amy Grant Ahlers '91 recently published<br />

"Big Fat Lies Women Tell <strong>The</strong>mselves."<br />

Personalized Learning<br />

continued from page 25<br />

Personalized learning at O’Dowd<br />

is shifting the learning away from a<br />

teacher-centered to a student-centered<br />

environment. As students discover how<br />

to learn with their devices, they are able<br />

to extend the learning experience beyond<br />

the school day, revisiting educational<br />

websites and participating in group<br />

discussions on their own time. It’s a<br />

very powerful experience for students to<br />

feel they have a learning tool with them<br />

at all times. O’Dowd is committed to<br />

innovations that cultivate a personalized<br />

learning environment where students are<br />

expected to know how to use content to<br />

make connections, be critical thinkers,<br />

information managers, and strong moral<br />

digital citizens who work collaboratively<br />

to transform the world around them and<br />

improve our quality of life.


As a youngster, Mary Cadenasso ’83 spent lots<br />

of time hiking in the Sierras with her family and<br />

exploring the varied systems – coast, mountains,<br />

agriculture, grassland, and desert – throughout the<br />

state.<br />

She remembers asking her parents lots of questions.<br />

Why do certain trees grow at lower elevations but not<br />

higher elevations? Why are the plants sparser on the<br />

east side of the mountains than the west side?<br />

Today, as an ecologist and tenured faculty member<br />

at UC Davis, Cadenasso, 46, is providing answers.<br />

“In general, my projects all attempt to answer some<br />

aspect of the question: How is the structure of the<br />

landscape connected to the ecological functions in<br />

that landscape? Sometimes humans create, modify or<br />

regulate landscape structure, and sometimes it occurs<br />

naturally because of topography, soils, or climate.<br />

Some landscapes are urban and some are not. In my<br />

research I use a variety of tools, from satellite imagery<br />

to field observations and experimentation to analytical<br />

chemistry of plant tissues, water, and soil,” Cadenasso<br />

explained.<br />

Some of the projects Cadenasso is currently<br />

involved with include:<br />

• Working in Kruger National Park, South Africa,<br />

to understand how the structure of riparian zones<br />

along seasonally flowing rivers influences the nutrient dynamics of those zones.<br />

• Examining metropolitan Baltimore as an ecosystem, with a focus on linking<br />

the way urban landscapes are designed with how they function ecologically,<br />

including such functions as heat dissipation, water runoff, water and air quality,<br />

nutrient cycling and biodiversity.<br />

• Evaluating the amount and form of nitrogen pollution entering California’s oak<br />

savannas by way of atmospheric deposition.<br />

• Investigating how the design of residential neighborhoods in Sacramento<br />

influences the water quality and quantity leaving them and entering regional<br />

waterways such as the American River and eventually the Delta, and evaluating<br />

the equitable distribution of trees and exposure to urban heat among residents.<br />

Cadenasso got interested in ecology after taking a course on the subject at Santa<br />

Clara University. “<strong>The</strong> first day the professor described ecology as the study of why<br />

questions. I was hooked,” she said.<br />

Ecologist Mary Cadenasso ’83<br />

Explores Urban Systems<br />

Mary Cadenasso sampling leaves in South Africa. Cadenasso shoots leaves off the<br />

tops of trees, as she needs leaves exposed to the sun to complete nutrient analysis.<br />

28 THE DRAGON<br />

“As a society we have very<br />

clever people and we have<br />

good ideas about how to solve<br />

problems, but it’s the wide<br />

implementation of those ideas to<br />

benefit all people that seems to<br />

be the tricky part.”<br />

Mary Cadenasso ’83


Raised in Oakland, Cadenasso attended Corpus<br />

Christi <strong>School</strong> prior to enrolling at O’Dowd,<br />

where she was active in sports, music and campus<br />

ministry.<br />

After majoring in biology at Santa Clara,<br />

Cadenasso worked as a marine biologist for an<br />

environmental consulting firm in Marin County.<br />

“<strong>The</strong>y had me on a job surveying invertebrates<br />

in wetland soil and determining the anticipated<br />

changes in water drainage through the wetland<br />

after the construction of a proposed parking lot.<br />

<strong>The</strong> job was supposed to be temporary but when<br />

my boss figured out I knew the plants of California<br />

I was put on additional jobs as a botanist and<br />

conducted rare plant surveys and mapped habitats<br />

in various places around California,” she said.<br />

Cadenasso subsequently earned a doctorate in<br />

ecology and evolution from Rutgers University,<br />

where she worked as a teaching assistant and<br />

taught undergraduate general biology and botany<br />

labs. She worked as a research assistant at the<br />

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (CIES) in<br />

Millbrook, N.Y., while conducting her dissertation<br />

research, which focused on forest edges. She<br />

continued at CIES as a post-doctoral associate.<br />

She held a visiting scholar position at the Hixon<br />

Center for Urban Ecology at Yale University,<br />

<strong>School</strong> of Forestry and Environmental Studies,<br />

where she developed two graduate courses – urban<br />

ecology and integrating urban ecology and urban<br />

design. “I also collaborated with urban designers<br />

in New York City and would contribute to their<br />

graduate urban design studios at the Graduate<br />

<strong>School</strong> of Architecture, Planning and Preservation<br />

at Columbia University,” she said.<br />

At Davis, Cadenasso teaches an upper division<br />

undergraduate course in urban ecology. She also<br />

teaches a graduate course on ecosystems and<br />

landscapes with a colleague. Every other year, she<br />

teaches a seminar course for graduate students<br />

on different topics, such as ecosystems services<br />

and environmental justice and social-ecological<br />

systems.<br />

Meanwhile, much of Cadenasso’s research<br />

focuses on urban systems. She loves cities and<br />

welcomes the opportunity to contribute her<br />

professional knowledge and skills to promoting<br />

healthy cities and making cities more livable. “I<br />

think that if we can achieve that then we can be<br />

more successful in limiting the low density sprawl<br />

that is removing or impacting so much of our<br />

unaltered land,” she said.<br />

Cadenasso says the most rewarding aspect of<br />

her job is working with graduate students and<br />

Mary Cadenasso and her husband, James Maness.<br />

colleagues to generate new project ideas. “<strong>The</strong>re is a lot of creativity<br />

involved in science, which frequently gets overlooked. Students bring<br />

new ideas and excitement and I have the luxury of constantly stretching<br />

my mind. I also get to interact with people from many different fields<br />

and I travel a lot for research or meetings. As a consequence I have<br />

friends and colleagues all over the world,” she said.<br />

Looking to the future, Cadenasso says she firmly believes there is a<br />

way to make cities healthy, socially just and ecologically functioning.<br />

However, many of the country’s development strategies have not yet<br />

fostered those goals.<br />

“I am concerned with both sides of the coin – how to make cities<br />

more livable while at the same time limiting the impact of cities on<br />

natural systems,” she said. “As a society we have very clever people and<br />

we have good ideas<br />

about how to solve<br />

problems, but it’s the<br />

wide implementation<br />

of those ideas to<br />

benefit all people<br />

that seems to be the<br />

tricky part.”<br />

Cadenasso and<br />

her husband, James<br />

Maness, reside in<br />

Sacramento. In her<br />

free time, Cadenasso<br />

enjoys cycling,<br />

rowing, cooking,<br />

literature and travel.<br />

29 THE DRAGON<br />

Online Information &<br />

Resources<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> website (www.<br />

bishopodowd.org) provides<br />

comprehensive information<br />

about the school’s history,<br />

academic programs,<br />

extracurricular activities, alumni<br />

events, advancement initiatives and more.<br />

Throughout <strong>The</strong> Dragon you will find the<br />

mouse symbol pictured here, which will<br />

direct you to supplemental online resources<br />

on our website.


Dan Dell’Osso ’71 AdvocAting for Justice<br />

<strong>The</strong> case was heartbreaking - a young<br />

girl fatally burned in her family’s hot tub<br />

when the temperature control switch<br />

malfunctioned and the water temperature<br />

rose to 160 degrees. Though Dan<br />

Dell’Osso ’71 negotiated a settlement<br />

for the girl’s family as part of a product<br />

liability case, he readily admits that no<br />

amount of money could compensate<br />

for the loss that his clients had suffered.<br />

However, he was gratified that the hot<br />

tub company agreed to correct the defect<br />

at no cost to consumers. That meant no<br />

one else would face a similar tragedy.<br />

“Success is usually measured by the size<br />

of the verdict,” he said. “It’s certainly a<br />

measure, but it’s not the only or most<br />

important measure.”<br />

Because of his stellar work in the area<br />

of personal injury litigation, Dell’Osso<br />

was recently recognized as the 2012 San<br />

Francisco Lawyer of the Year for personal<br />

injury litigation by “Best Lawyers”<br />

magazine. <strong>The</strong> lawyers honored in the<br />

publication are chosen for inclusion<br />

based solely on a vote of their peers. “It’s<br />

flattering and very humbling,” Dell’Osso<br />

said.<br />

A lawyer with <strong>The</strong> Brandi Firm,<br />

Dell’Osso specializes in product liability,<br />

auto crashworthiness and aviation,<br />

and typically represents individuals<br />

who are catastrophically injured by<br />

malfunctioning products.<br />

In the hot tub case, Dell’Osso engaged<br />

an electrical engineer to investigate why<br />

the temperature control switch failed.<br />

<strong>The</strong> engineer discovered that some hot<br />

tub models had a different wiring set up<br />

– one in which the temperature control<br />

switch cut off power to the heater only,<br />

not the entire hot tub.<br />

That meant that the hot tub pump<br />

continued to run, and the heat exchange<br />

that occurred when water passed by<br />

the active pump could raise the water<br />

temperature one degree an hour. <strong>The</strong><br />

“Success is usually measured by the size of the verdict.<br />

It’s certainly a measure, but it’s not the only or most<br />

important measure.”<br />

30 THE DRAGON<br />

Dan Dell’Osso ’71<br />

family had been away for the weekend and turned the hot tub off, but never realized<br />

that the pump remained active and could raise the water temperature to a deadly level.<br />

Born and raised in Oakland, Dell’Osso went to Our Lady of Lourdes <strong>School</strong> prior<br />

to enrolling at O’Dowd. Six of his siblings also attended O’Dowd – older sisters<br />

Jeannette and Paula ’69 and younger brothers Enrico ’74, Peter ’75 and David ’78.<br />

At O’Dowd, Dell’Osso participated in a wide variety of activities, including the jazz<br />

and concert bands and the ski club. Along with John Cecconi ’71, Dell’Osso served as<br />

captain of O’Dowd’s first football team. He also played baseball, ran cross country, and<br />

helped secure a league title for the swim team during his senior year when he agreed<br />

to enter the diving events in order to score points for the team.<br />

“I enjoyed my time at O’Dowd. It was a fun place, and it certainly gave me a great


academic foundation. <strong>The</strong>re was nothing<br />

I saw in college that I hadn’t already seen<br />

at O’Dowd,” he said.<br />

Dell’Osso graduated with honors<br />

from Virginia Military Institute (VMI)<br />

in 1975, with a degree in English,<br />

and was selected as a Rhodes Scholar<br />

nominee from the state of Virginia.<br />

After graduating from VMI, Dell’Osso<br />

was commissioned as a second lieutenant<br />

in the United States Marine Corps, and<br />

spent six years on active duty as a fighter<br />

pilot. He continued to serve as a pilot<br />

with the Marine Corps Reserve and<br />

rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.<br />

He was the commanding officer of the<br />

Marine A-4 squadron in Alameda before<br />

retiring with 22 years of service.<br />

During his years of active duty,<br />

Dell’Osso was stationed in Hawaii, but<br />

was deployed on average 200 days a year.<br />

A newlywed at the time, Dell’Osso said<br />

communications with his wife, Lisa,<br />

were limited. “This was before e-mail<br />

and cell phones,” he said. “<strong>The</strong> only<br />

communication available to you and your<br />

spouse in those days was writing letters.<br />

Once a week, if there was time available,<br />

you could talk on a short wave radio.”<br />

Some of Dell’Osso’s most memorable<br />

experiences as a pilot include his first<br />

carrier landing during flight training,<br />

going Supersonic for the first time (he<br />

says it’s physically imperceptible), flying<br />

from Hawaii to Japan via Midway Island,<br />

and being selected as the commanding<br />

officer of the A-4 Squadron in Alameda.<br />

Inspired by his father, who was a<br />

lawyer, Dell’Osso earned his law degree<br />

from Golden Gate University in 1984<br />

and entered practice with Walkup,<br />

Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger. At the<br />

same time, Dell’Osso was regularly flying<br />

as a reserve, keeping his skills current. “It<br />

was not unusual for me, during that time<br />

frame, to work 90 or 120 days straight,”<br />

he said.<br />

He left Walkup in 2000 and moved<br />

to Arizona where he worked for Coben<br />

and Associates. He returned to the Bay<br />

Area in 2005 and began working at <strong>The</strong><br />

Brandi Firm.<br />

Dell’Osso says trial work is very<br />

gratifying because it is dynamic. “You<br />

never entirely know what a witness will say, or how a judge will<br />

rule,” he said.<br />

He has been involved in the preparation and/or trial of<br />

automobile crashworthiness cases against most of the major<br />

automobile manufacturers including Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda,<br />

KIA, Nissan, General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Volvo<br />

and Mazda. He has tried automobile defect and crashworthiness<br />

cases in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania and<br />

participated in crashworthiness cases in New Jersey, Maryland,<br />

Ohio, Hawaii and Maine.<br />

Dell’Osso’s cases have involved a wide variety of vehicle<br />

defects, including poor roof design, vehicle stability, defective<br />

tires, seat failures, seat belt failures, airbag systems, child<br />

restraints, occupant door latch failures, and side structures.<br />

His $18 million verdict against Ford Motor Company in<br />

2009 was one of the top 100 verdicts of that year. <strong>The</strong> case<br />

centered on a seat in a Ford E-350 van that became unlatched<br />

from the floor rendering the young man sitting in the seat a<br />

quadriplegic.<br />

“That verdict was satisfying because the person who was<br />

injured doesn’t have to worry about housing or medical care for<br />

the rest of his life,” Dell’Osso said. “That is significant because<br />

as a quadriplegic it is difficult for him to get full medical<br />

coverage, and his care costs are between $200,000 and $300,000<br />

a year.”<br />

Adds Dell’Osso, “We all take so much for granted. Doing<br />

this work makes you appreciate the blessing of being in good<br />

health.”<br />

Dell’Osso is a firm believer in the saying luck is when<br />

preparation meets opportunity. “Opportunity starts with things<br />

like your education at O’Dowd. Because I learned fundamentals<br />

in high school, I had a certain level of confidence. I knew I<br />

could always compete academically,” he said.<br />

Being at the right place at the right time doesn’t hurt, either.<br />

While on a reserve deployment in Canada, and looking for his<br />

first job as a lawyer, Dell’Osso met up with a fellow pilot whose<br />

childhood friend was a partner in the Walkup firm. That pilot<br />

contacted his friend on behalf of Dell’Osso. As a result of this<br />

networking, Dell’Osso was hired as a summer intern charged<br />

with working on an aviation case. His background as a pilot<br />

proved helpful. “I went from working on that one case to being<br />

a partner,” he said.<br />

A Berkeley resident, Dell’Osso is an avid runner. He<br />

participated in seven consecutive Boston Marathons and is<br />

a regular in the local Dipsea race. He also enjoys swimming,<br />

surfing, reading, golf and traveling and antiquing with his wife.<br />

Looking ahead to the day when he gives up practicing law,<br />

Dell’Osso says he’d like to teach. “Certainly a trial advocacy<br />

class would be fine, but I’d be happy teaching middle school<br />

Math and coaching,” he said.<br />

31 THE DRAGON<br />

Alumni Spotlight


Profile in Philanthropy<br />

Judy ’64 and Tim Smith firmly believe that a Catholic education is an advantage for life.<br />

That’s why the couple is among the strongest supporters of<br />

O’Dowd’s Scholars Program,<br />

which provides much needed financial assistance to<br />

deserving students. <strong>The</strong>y recently gave $15,000 to underwrite one student’s tuition.<br />

“A Catholic, college prep education is important because it provides students with a<br />

strong academic and spiritual foundation, and an understanding of their responsibilities to<br />

each other and the world,” Judy said.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Smiths are inspired to give to O’Dowd because they believe in the<br />

core values of the school and its leadership.<br />

“O’Dowd continues to graduate competent young people who go out into the world and make a<br />

difference. We also know that there are many parents who have the same educational dreams for their<br />

children that we had for ours, but need financial assistance to make them a reality,” Judy said.<br />

32 THE DRAGON<br />

Judy ’64 and Tim Smith<br />

“O’Dowd provided me a nurturing environment in which I could both<br />

learn and grow up,” Judy Logan Smith ’64


Class of 2006 Celebrates<br />

Five Year Reunion<br />

Class of 2006 members (from left to right) Kevin Ruma,<br />

Sterling Mosley, Evelyn Montiel, Landon Hill and Kiersten<br />

McKoy were among more than 80 classmates who attended<br />

their five year reunion, held on Dec. 23 at Luka's Taproom<br />

and Lounge in Oakland. <strong>The</strong> classmates enjoyed reconnecting<br />

and reminiscing.<br />

Alumni Directory to be Updated<br />

This Summer<br />

Keeping in touch with your fellow alumni has<br />

never been easier! O’Dowd has contracted with Harris<br />

Connect to produce the next alumni directory. <strong>The</strong><br />

previous directory was published in 2006.<br />

<strong>The</strong> publication will include a full-color glossy front<br />

section about O’Dowd, a “Throughout the Years” photo<br />

gallery, organized by decade, of color or black and white<br />

images and captions submitted by alumni, a geographical<br />

section, as well as an alpha section which will include<br />

each alumni’s contact information, current job title and<br />

employer and up to two post-secondary degrees earned<br />

and the institution(s).<br />

Harris will mail O’Dowd alumni postcards which<br />

request that they call an 800 number to verify/update<br />

their information and, if they wish, submit photos and/or<br />

personal messages for inclusion in the project.<br />

Thanks in advance for your cooperation with this<br />

project.<br />

33 THE DRAGON<br />

Alumni News<br />

Upcoming Reunions<br />

Class of ’57 ... <strong>The</strong> Class of 1957 will hold its 55th reunion on<br />

Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, beginning at noon, at <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong>. <strong>The</strong> day will include a catered picnic barbecue. A flyer with<br />

more details and price will be mailed soon. Please contact Joyce Allencastre<br />

Souza ’57 at jbeeniebear@netzero.com for more information.<br />

Class of ’62 ... is preparing for its 50th reunion, and has planned a<br />

series of events for Friday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012,<br />

including a Friday golf outing followed by an informal meet and greet,<br />

brunch on campus, presentation of Golden Diplomas, and a reunion<br />

dinner Saturday night at Castlewood Country Club. <strong>The</strong> nearby Sheraton<br />

hotel in Pleasanton will offer special rates and van service for out<br />

of town classmates. Please contact Pam Ellis Mack at macksj@comcast.net<br />

or Wes Smith at wes_smith@comcast.net for more information.<br />

Also, be sure to register on the class website, www.bod1962.com.<br />

Formal invitations detailing the cost of each event will be mailed to all<br />

classmates, and can also be viewed on the class website.<br />

Class of ’63 ... is already making plans for a 50th reunion. Festivities<br />

will begin on Friday, Aug. 2, 2013, with a tour and reception at<br />

O’Dowd. Join your classmates for dinner the following evening, Saturday,<br />

August 3, 2013, at the Claremont Hotel and Spa. Please send your<br />

current e-mail address to Lyn Cardin Andersen, at lynmbs@aol.com,<br />

or Paul Vassar, at prvassar@prodigy.net, even if you think we have it!<br />

Class of ’77 ... has planned a reunion for Saturday, June 30, at Neptune’s<br />

Restaurant at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Members of the classes<br />

of 1976 and 1978 are invited to join in the fun. Details: reception/<br />

cocktails/hors d’oeuvres from 6 to 7 p.m.; dinner and presentations<br />

from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and dancing with DJ from 9 p.m to midnight.<br />

Cost is $50 per person and includes two hours parking. Please send<br />

checks made out to Kelly Tatum/Linda Verdun Thompson to 2303<br />

Vista Del Mar, San Mateo, CA 94404. Note: limited hotel rooms have<br />

been reserved at Radisson Fisherman’s Wharf under “Linda Thompson<br />

Group.” Call the hotel directly at (415) 392-6700 to make a reservation.<br />

Class of ’82 ... <strong>The</strong> 30 year reunion for the Class of 1982 is set for<br />

Saturday, Oct. 20. Detailed information will be mailed soon. Contact<br />

Debbie Furino Marshall at dnd87@aol.com, or join the class Facebook<br />

page: <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd - Class of 82.<br />

Class of ’02 ... <strong>The</strong> 10 year reunion for the Class of 2002 is set for<br />

Saturday, July 14, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the Castro Valley Community<br />

Center. Cost is $30 per person. Contact Keli Martinez at<br />

kelimartinez08@gmail.com for more information.<br />

Other classes interested in planning reunions should contact advancement@<br />

bishopodowd.org.


Alumni News<br />

Alums Support<br />

O’Dowd Scholars Program<br />

From left to right, Vice President for Advancement Michael Petrini, Ed Renteria '78,<br />

Tosha Y. Eagles-Williams '84, Victor Quint '67 and President Steve Phelps display the<br />

ceremonial check for the donation the alums made to the <strong>O'Dowd</strong> Scholars Program.<br />

Victor Quint ’67, Ed Renteria ’78 and Tosha Y. Eagles-Williams ’84 recently<br />

presented O’Dowd President Steve Phelps and Vice President for Advancement<br />

Michael Petrini a check for $5,000 for the O’Dowd Scholars Program.<br />

<strong>The</strong> donation was made on behalf of 1st United Services Credit Union in<br />

Pleasanton, where the three alums work. Quint is chief executive officer, Renteria is<br />

chief information officer and Eagles-Williams is chief operating officer.<br />

<strong>The</strong> alums visited campus on March 28 to make the presentation. <strong>The</strong>y also took a<br />

tour of the campus, and had an opportunity to chat with several students.<br />

“It is evident that the students’ best interest is a top priority,” Eagles-Williams said<br />

after the tour. “<strong>The</strong> campus is extremely clean and the teachers and students were<br />

friendly and engaging. We learned of the exciting plans for expansion and believe<br />

these plans will benefit the students and faculty alike.“ <strong>The</strong>se are some of the reasons<br />

Eagles-Williams chose to send her daughter, Maya, to O’Dowd.<br />

Added Eagles-Williams, “we felt that this is a token of our appreciation and a<br />

great way to give back. Donating to this fund will help yet another student attend this<br />

excellent school and enjoy the benefits of a top notch education.”<br />

Quint said he would never have been so successful in business without the excellent<br />

education and foundation that O’Dowd provided. “I am amazed how many O’Dowd<br />

graduates that I run into in business and in my personal life. And, what are the odds<br />

that there would be three executives at 1st United Services Credit Union who are all<br />

graduates of O’Dowd?” Quint said.<br />

"Donation" continued on page 35<br />

34 THE DRAGON<br />

Class of 1967 Memorial Mass<br />

Members of the Class of ’67, friends<br />

of Jody Gonzales who passed away Sept.<br />

7, 2011, are having a Memorial Mass<br />

commemorating Jody and all our deceased<br />

classmates including Bill Biggio, Cynthia<br />

Corder, Christine Ferreira Correia, Cheryl<br />

Jones Frank, JoAnn Lund Greiner, Stephen<br />

Peacock, Phyllis Fernandes Pearson, Janis<br />

Porter, Michael Scanlon, Jeffrey Smith,<br />

Michael St. Andre and Judy Kerr.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Memorial Mass will be celebrated<br />

on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, at 11 a.m., in<br />

the Chapel on the O’Dowd campus. A<br />

reception will follow in the adjacent lounge.<br />

If you would please RSVP to either Sue<br />

Barroero susanb@appliedfusioninc.com /<br />

(510) 537-8565, or Nancy (Nilson) Latham<br />

nlatham10s@comcast.net /(707) 579-4767<br />

no later than Aug. 15, 2012, we would<br />

greatly appreciate it.<br />

If you know of any other deceased<br />

classmates not mentioned above, please<br />

let Susan or Nancy know so they can be<br />

included in the Memorial Mass.<br />

We hope that you will be able to join<br />

with us in this memorial. Please forward<br />

this information to any classmates who may<br />

not receive “<strong>The</strong> Dragon.”<br />

Invest in our students with the<br />

Gift of an O’Dowd Education<br />

Attend the<br />

Fund a Dream<br />

Luncheon<br />

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012<br />

With you, we’ll achieve our promise<br />

of giving all deserving students an<br />

unparalleled O’Dowd education.<br />

Contact Cathy McFann at<br />

(510) 577-9100, ext. 303, for details.


35 THE DRAGON<br />

Alumni News<br />

Class of 1955 Pushes Mark J. Hurley Scholarship Fund<br />

Past $90,000 Mark<br />

Donation<br />

continued from page 34<br />

And, Quint says he still uses the French he learned in high<br />

school when he travels to Europe.<br />

For Renteria, O’Dowd set him on a path to fulfillment.<br />

“Everyone was always encouraged to set lofty goals and work<br />

to achieve them,” he said. “Both challenging and fun, my<br />

experience at O’Dowd laid a foundation for success both<br />

personally and professionally.<br />

“I am part of a very unique situation working with two other<br />

O’Dowd alumni, and we all have shared feelings about the value<br />

of our education received at O’Dowd,” Renteria said.<br />

Petrini said that alumni support of O’Dowd’s Scholars<br />

Program makes all the difference. “Financial assistance from<br />

our grads helps O’Dowd sustain its tradition of excellence and<br />

accessibility - a promise of life-changing opportunities to future<br />

generations,” he said. “All of us are grateful to Victor, Ed and<br />

Tosha, representing three generations of alums, for making this<br />

gift from 1st United possible for our students today.”<br />

Nearly 30 members of the Class of 1955, several coming<br />

from as far away as Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, were on<br />

campus on March 25 to attend the school’s 60th anniversary<br />

celebration. It was a great opportunity to share stories of the<br />

“good old days” and witness all the innovations that have since<br />

occurred, including all the latest technology. Following Mass<br />

and lunch, everyone continued socializing with the ’50s classes<br />

as we enjoyed the wonderful reception in the former convent<br />

setting (Dominican Lounge).<br />

As a reminder, the Mark J. Hurley Scholarship Endowment<br />

Fund that was established by our class has passed the $90,000<br />

mark. If you would like to contribute, tax deductible donations<br />

may be made at any time and forwarded to the school. <strong>The</strong> next<br />

quarterly lunch will be held on Wednesday, July 19, so save the<br />

date. For more information, contact Bev (Mello) Rettus at (408)<br />

866-9300 or rettus@att.net.<br />

Going Somewhere?<br />

If you’re moving – to a new home, a new city, a new<br />

state or a new country – don’t forget to let us know. You<br />

can help us save postage and we can make sure you won’t<br />

miss an issue of <strong>The</strong> Dragon.<br />

Please print your new address and attach your mailing<br />

label to this form.<br />

Name Class Year<br />

Address<br />

City<br />

State/Zip Phone<br />

Return this form to:<br />

Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76<br />

c/o <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

9500 Stearns Ave.<br />

Oakland, CA 94605


Alumni News<br />

1966 1970<br />

A resident of Scottsdale, Ariz.,<br />

Michael Tucevich is a judge with the<br />

federal government hearing Social<br />

Security appeals. He is also an avid tennis<br />

player (4.5 level).<br />

Michael and his 16-year-old daughter,<br />

Morgan, (pictured below) visited Paris<br />

last summer.<br />

1969<br />

John Kukulica and his wife, Gigi,<br />

live in a newly remodeled home on the<br />

Truckee River in Reno with their 45<br />

hens, five cats, five dogs, four ducks and<br />

one rooster. <strong>The</strong> couple has two children:<br />

Dominic, a firefighter for CALFIRE, and<br />

Ariana, a junior at Reno <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />

John works for Aflac.<br />

Class Notes<br />

Mary Beth Monteith Denoncourt’s<br />

daughter, Sara, and granddaughter,<br />

Savana, 5, recently appeared in a<br />

production of “<strong>The</strong> King and I,” staged<br />

at the Douglas Morrison Little <strong>The</strong>ater<br />

in Hayward. Pictured below: Savana (in<br />

pink) was the littlest Royal Princess and<br />

Sara (in red) was a Royal Dancer.<br />

More <strong>Bishop</strong><br />

O’Dowd <strong>High</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> alumni news<br />

can be found at<br />

www.bishopodowd.<br />

org, under “alumni.”<br />

36 THE DRAGON<br />

1974<br />

Michael D’Orazi was named the<br />

permanent Fire Chief of the Alameda<br />

Fire Department (AFD) on Dec. 19,<br />

2011.<br />

Mike began his firefighter career in<br />

1979 with AFD. He was promoted to<br />

lieutenant in 1988 and to captain in<br />

1999. He also served as the Department’s<br />

training director from 2003 to 2007. He<br />

retired in 2007.<br />

“We are very fortunate that Mike has<br />

agreed to come out of retirement to serve<br />

as chief,” said Alameda City Manager<br />

John Russo. “He knows the department<br />

and the city as well as anyone, and we<br />

need him to help transition AFD to a<br />

broader work mission given the long term<br />

fiscal shortfalls Alameda is facing.”<br />

Mike and his wife Lori have been<br />

married for 32 years. <strong>The</strong> couple has<br />

three children and two grandchildren.<br />

1986<br />

Dr. Kim Williams joined the<br />

political science faculty at Portland State<br />

University in the fall of 2011 and also<br />

was named director of the Center for<br />

Women, Politics & Policy at PSU.<br />

Previously, Kim taught at the Harvard<br />

Kennedy <strong>School</strong>. Her research and<br />

teaching interests converge around issues<br />

of race and immigration in American<br />

politics.<br />

She is the author of “Mark One<br />

or More: Civil Rights in Multiracial<br />

America,” and she is working on her<br />

second book, “<strong>The</strong> Latino Population<br />

Boom: How Blacks & Whites are<br />

adapting to a New Chapter in American<br />

Politics.”


2002<br />

Christine Parry (pictured at right)<br />

graduated with a double major in<br />

psychology and political science from<br />

the University of Southern California in<br />

2006.<br />

Following college, Christine moved<br />

to San Francisco and attended UC<br />

Hastings, graduating and passing the bar<br />

in 2009.<br />

In 2010, Christine began working as<br />

a Deputy District Attorney in Contra<br />

Costa County. Currently, she works in<br />

the county’s Richmond branch office<br />

conducting jury trials and preliminary<br />

hearings.<br />

Thus far, Christine has had the<br />

opportunity to prosecute over 20 jury<br />

trials. In addition, she files cases and<br />

writes various motions.<br />

2003 and 2004<br />

David Brower ’04 and Shannon<br />

Dilling ’03 welcomed Mason David<br />

Brower on Aug. 30, 2011.<br />

2006<br />

Michael Parry (pictured in next<br />

column) graduated from the University of<br />

Washington’s Michael G. Foster <strong>School</strong><br />

of Business with a bachlor’s degree in<br />

finance in 2010.<br />

Immediately afterwards, Michael<br />

moved to Texas to begin work as a<br />

member of the 2010 Teach For America<br />

Dallas/Fort Worth corps.<br />

He spent six weeks in Houston, living<br />

on campus at Rice University where<br />

all first year corps members from a<br />

number of regions completed their TFA<br />

“Institute” training. During the training,<br />

Michael '06 and Christine '02 Parry<br />

Michael taught Algebra I summer school<br />

classes to students at James Madison<br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />

At the conclusion of the summer,<br />

Michael returned to Dallas and<br />

was placed at Texans Can Academy<br />

at Carrollton/Farmers Branch, an<br />

alternative charter school that caters<br />

to students 18-22, or those who have<br />

had difficulty in their traditional school<br />

setting due to a variety of reasons.<br />

Michael says 100 percent of the student<br />

body is considered “at-risk.”<br />

He is currently teaching Algebra I and<br />

II and Geometry classes to students that<br />

fall into all four grade levels.<br />

He was promoted to the position of<br />

Math Department Chairman in January<br />

2011.<br />

“Despite many of the obstacles that<br />

our students face on a daily basis, I am<br />

proud to say we have seen tremendous<br />

growth in our Math test scores over the<br />

first year and a half that I have been<br />

here,” Michael said.<br />

37 THE DRAGON<br />

Alumni News<br />

2007<br />

Allison McManis is working as an<br />

assistant women’s soccer coach at Vassar<br />

College.<br />

A former center-midfielder and four-<br />

year captain at Vassar, Allison helped<br />

guide the Brewers to four conseucitve<br />

winning seasons.<br />

She graduated from Vassar in 2011<br />

with a bachelor’s degree in geography.<br />

She earned departmental honors and<br />

received the Ellen Semple Churchill<br />

Award for Excellence in the Study of<br />

Geography. Allison was also selected as<br />

an alternate for the Thomas J. Watson<br />

Fellowship for her proposal to study Fair<br />

Trade production internationally.<br />

2011<br />

MacKenzie Daniel was named to the<br />

Dean’s List for the 2011 fall semester at<br />

Elon University in North Carolina.<br />

D'Angelo Guiton '14, right, is happy to be<br />

following in his father's, Harvell Guiton '80,<br />

left, footsteps as an <strong>O'Dowd</strong> student and a<br />

defensive cornerback on the football team.


THE YEAR OF THE<br />

DRAGON<br />

It was a year to remember. Both the men’s and women’s soccer<br />

teams and the men’s and women’s basketball teams captured North<br />

Coast Section championships in February.<br />

It was the first time in school history that all<br />

four winter sports teams captured NCS titles.<br />

For the women’s basketball team it was a<br />

fourth consecutive NCS crown and<br />

second consecutive NorCal title.<br />

And, much to the delight of Dragon fans, the women’s team<br />

captured the program’s first state championship, defeating Laguna<br />

Hills, 62-24, to win the California Interscholastic Federation Division<br />

III title. O’Dowd forced 26 turnovers and limited the opponent to<br />

the lowest point total in state title-game history.<br />

All Dragon players scored in the winning effort.<br />

38 THE DRAGON<br />

KC Waters '13 scored a game high 14 points<br />

and grabbed 12 rebounds in just 20 minutes of<br />

action in the state final and received the sportmanship<br />

award. She was also named the CIF<br />

Division III Women's Player of the Year.


Student-Athletes Sign<br />

National Letters of Intent<br />

Winter Sports Roundup<br />

Back row (from left to right): Brendan Royal, Max Orntil, Nehemiah<br />

Mitchell, Richard Longrus and Terrence Daniel. Front row (from left to<br />

right): Elena Duke, Victoria Burns and Ignacio Madrid.<br />

With their families and friends looking on, eight <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd<br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent in a<br />

ceremony held on campus Feb. 1.<br />

<strong>The</strong> signees included Victoria Burns, soccer, University of<br />

Washington; Elena Duke, rowing, University of California, San Diego;<br />

Terrence Daniel, football, University of Oregon; Richard Longrus,<br />

basketball, Washington State University; Ignacio Madrid, football,<br />

University of Stetson, Florida; Nehemiah Mitchell and Brendan Royal,<br />

football, Sacramento State University; and Max Ornstil, soccer, Santa<br />

Clara University.<br />

Hardy Nickerson Jr. committed to play football at Cal, but wasn’t able<br />

to attend the signing ceremony. He was in Austin, Texas, playing in the<br />

2012 International Bowl, which featured the U.S. Under-19 National<br />

Team comprised of top high school players in the country against an<br />

IFAF (International Federation of American Football) World Team of<br />

premiere players age 19-and-under from outside the U.S.<br />

More information<br />

about <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd<br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> athletics<br />

can be found at www.<br />

bishopodowd.org, under<br />

“athletics.”<br />

39 THE DRAGON<br />

Hayward Area Athletic League<br />

Team Records &<br />

All-League Honors<br />

Men’s Basketball ... 16-0 ... 1st in HAAL<br />

All League: Kendall Jackson and Richard Longrus Jr.<br />

(first team); Josh Crum, TJ Daniel and Marcus Green<br />

(second team). Co-Coach of the Year: Doug Vierra.<br />

Women’s Basketball ... 16-0 ... 1st in HAAL<br />

All League: Ari Bostick, Oderah Chidom and KC<br />

Waters (first team); Asia Robertson (second team).<br />

Player of the Year: KC Waters.<br />

Men’s Soccer ... 7-3-6 ... 3rd in HAAL<br />

All League: Gabe D’Ambrosio, Marco Indrio and<br />

Tommy Powell (first team); Ari Flink, Adam Gold<br />

and Matthew Powell (second team)<br />

Women’s Soccer ... 12-1-0 ... 1st in HAAL<br />

All League: Victoria Burns, Kylie Carera, Kelsie<br />

Halstenrud and Ryan Walker-Hartshorn (first team);<br />

Kate Ranahan, Ryan Daniel, Darby Nordin and Roni<br />

Owyang (second team)<br />

Special Note: Richard Longrus Jr. broke the O’Dowd alltime<br />

career rebounding mark of 797, held by Tony Jackson<br />

’82, finishing with 919 career rebounds.<br />

Dominic Miroglio ’13 Selected for<br />

Elite 11 Quarterback Competition<br />

O’Dowd’s Dominic<br />

Miroglio ’13 was invited to<br />

participate in the Elite 11<br />

Quarterback Competition, a<br />

Nike and ESPNRise event<br />

featuring the top high school<br />

quarterbacks in the nation.<br />

Miroglio was to attend<br />

a regional camp at Contra<br />

Costa College on May<br />

18, and receive advanced,<br />

one-on-one quarterback<br />

instruction. Other regional<br />

camps were held in Dallas, Atlanta, New York City,<br />

Columbus, Ohio and Las Vegas.<br />

Top performers at the regional camps will earn a<br />

spot in the final Elite 11 event to be held in Southern<br />

California in July. Miroglio is the first O’Dowd<br />

quarterback invited to compete in the Elite 11.


Sellout Crowd Enjoys Crab & Pasta Feed<br />

Event co-chairs Teri Halstenrud, left and Laura Carlson.<br />

A sellout crowd of more than 530 people attended the Feb. 4 Dragon<br />

Athletic Boosters Crab & Pasta Feed, coming together to have fun and<br />

support <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> athletics. Co-chaired by O’Dowd<br />

parents Laura Carlson and Teri Halstenrud, the event generated $35,000<br />

in net profits.<br />

<strong>The</strong> evening included a silent auction and a Super Bowl drawing, won<br />

by Laura Carlson (1st and 2nd quarters), Tim Murphy (3rd quarter) and<br />

Kathleen Edwards (final score). All proceeds from these activities will go<br />

toward funding all O’Dowd athletics programs.<br />

Special thanks go to the more than 100 volunteers, including current<br />

and alumni parents, alumni and friends of O’Dowd, that helped make the<br />

event such a success, and to the O’Dowd maintenance and security staff<br />

for their support.<br />

40 THE DRAGON<br />

Past parents Peter and Jean Marcuzzo dig into the<br />

plentiful supply of crab.<br />

Coaches Ashley Craver '04 and Turshika Bennett '96<br />

enjoy delicious pasta.<br />

Crab Feed attendees Janet Howley, Vanessa Lowe and<br />

Michael Bridges chatted before dinner.


Special Thanks...<br />

Many of our most dedicated volunteers have graduating<br />

seniors, or have children that have already graduated!<br />

<strong>The</strong>y have worked for many years, providing the rest of us<br />

with wonderful Crab & Pasta feeds at <strong>O'Dowd</strong>.<br />

Front row: Peter Nuti and Diane Splendorio; middle row: Ross Catanzarite,<br />

Patty Taggart, Bill Currotto and Joe Salamack; back row:<br />

Arnie Espos and John Taggart.<br />

From left to right, Thomas Whittington, Jim Gold, Craig Barton and<br />

Kim Luboviski.<br />

41 THE DRAGON<br />

Graduation Outcomes<br />

Guided by the Mission Statement of <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd<br />

<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> to prepare students for lives of spiritual,<br />

intellectual, and personal growth, graduates will be:<br />

Academic Achievers who…<br />

• Exhibit knowledge and skills necessary for<br />

college.<br />

• Practice critical thinking and problem solving<br />

skills.<br />

• Research, analyze and synthesize information<br />

effectively.<br />

• Demonstrate innovation, creativity, and a love<br />

of the arts.<br />

Spiritual Individuals who…<br />

• Demonstrate knowledge and appreciation of<br />

Catholic faith and traditions.<br />

• Participate actively in their faith community.<br />

• Respect diversity of religion and culture.<br />

• Make moral, ethical and healthy choices in<br />

daily living.<br />

Effective Communicators who…<br />

• Exhibit expert reading and writing skills.<br />

• Articulate ideas clearly and creatively.<br />

• Use information technology effectively and<br />

ethically.<br />

• Understand divergent points of view.<br />

Active Leaders who…<br />

• Model personal integrity, responsibility, and<br />

ethical behavior.<br />

• Utilize emotional and social skills to build<br />

collaboration and teamwork.<br />

• Embrace diversity and promote excellence.<br />

• Demonstrate effective decision-making skills.<br />

Globally Responsible Citizens who…<br />

• Model human connectedness through a com -<br />

mitment to social justice.<br />

• Respect cultural and ethnic influences.<br />

• Work for a moral, just and peaceful world.<br />

• Exhibit care and respect for the environment.<br />

Life-long Learners who...<br />

• Demonstrate openness to growth.<br />

• Take responsibility for their own actions and<br />

the welfare of others.<br />

• Critically assess the values of contemporary<br />

culture in light of the Gospel.<br />

• Promote justice and peace in service to their<br />

faith.


O’Dowd President Steve Phelps Inducted Into<br />

San Francisco CYO Athletics Hall of Fame<br />

In recognition of his longstanding commitment to championing the core values of<br />

leadership, team play and good sportsmanship, O’Dowd President Steve Phelps was<br />

inducted into the San Francisco CYO Athletics Hall of Fame and honored at the 5th<br />

Annual Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Dinner held on<br />

March 10 in San Francisco.<br />

Phelps was lauded for his leadership and mentoring of inner city kids in the<br />

Fillmore and throughout San Francisco, where he helped shape the lives of hundreds<br />

of young men over a 20-year period beginning in the late 1960s.<br />

He first got involved with CYO while in college in the late 1960s, when he took<br />

a part-time job as a playground director in the Hunter’s Point area of San Francisco.<br />

After his graduation from college Phelps taught, coached and served as athletic and<br />

youth director at Sacred Heart <strong>School</strong> and elsewhere in the Western Addition.<br />

In 1972, he accepted a full time teaching position at St. Ignatius College<br />

Preparatory while continuing to run youth programs in the Fillmore until 1982.<br />

He taught, coached and served as an administrator at St. Ignatius until becoming<br />

president at O’Dowd in 2005.<br />

“When we give freely of ourselves to other people, we gain more than we give,”<br />

Phelps said of his work with CYO.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Hall of Fame Dinner featured former San Francisco 49er Eric Wright as the<br />

keynote speaker and was attended by many of Phelps’ former players.<br />

We’d Love to Hear From You!<br />

Your fellow alumni are interested in reading about what you are doing. Please use this form to keep your classmates and other<br />

O’Dowd friends up-to-date on the activities in your life. Send us news about career moves, publications, additions to your family,<br />

awards, etc. We especially welcome wedding, baby, and group gathering photos! By policy, we do not print non-legal unions,<br />

engagements, or pregnancies, and we reserve the right to edit submissions.<br />

Full Name:_____________________________________ Detach this form<br />

Maiden Name:__________________________________ and mail to: Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76<br />

Class Year:_____________________________________ c/o <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

Street Address:__________________________________ 9500 Stearns Ave.<br />

City:_____________State:________Zip:_____________ Oakland, CA 94605-4799<br />

Home Phone: __________________________________<br />

E-Mail: _______________________________________ News (please print or type):<br />

Occupation:____________________________________<br />

Employer: _____________________________________ ____________________________________________<br />

Business Address: _______________________________ ____________________________________________<br />

City:____________State:_________Zip: ____________ ____________________________________________<br />

Business Phone:_________________________________ ____________________________________________<br />

Colleges Attended/Degrees: _______________________ ____________________________________________<br />

______________________________________________ ____________________________________________<br />

Children: ______________________________________ ____________________________________________<br />

Spouse’s Name: _________________________________ ____________________________________________<br />

You can also e-mail your news to lmahoney@bishopodowd.org<br />

42 THE DRAGON


Barbara Murray Baxter ’56<br />

Carol Callaway, mother of Sr. Kathleen Callaway, SNJM, Susan<br />

Callaway (Del Losson), Janet Callaway ( Jim Peterson), Richard (Chris)<br />

Callaway '68, Donn Callaway '71, and Steven (Sharon) Callaway '80<br />

Charles F. Calloway, M.D., husband of Marie Edwards Calloway and<br />

father of Charles F. Calloway Jr. '69, Karen Elisabeth Calloway '77 and<br />

Pamela Anne Calloway '79<br />

Elmer Costa, husband of Millie and father of Steve (Kate) and Ken<br />

(Patty) Costa, and grandfather of Josh, Adam, Chris and the late Anna<br />

Felicia Costa '90<br />

Beverly Perreira Graves DeMaria ’60, wife of Gerald DeMaria,<br />

mother of Jeff Graves (Kim), stepmother of Dana Johnson (Curtis) and<br />

Brad and Michael (Stacey) DeMaria '84, and sister of Geraldine Perreira<br />

Sampson '56<br />

Hilda Detwiler, mother of Mike '81, Paul '82 and John '86 Detwiler<br />

Hon. Stephen Dombrink, husband of Debi and father of Michael '00<br />

and Mark Dombrink<br />

Juan Duenas, husband of Nancy Duenas and father of John Duenas<br />

'70, Vicki Duenas '70, Jean Duenas '70, Liz Duenas Pawek '76 , Ellen<br />

Duenas '78, Terri Duenas '79, Maggie Duenas Biscevic '81 and Paula<br />

Duenas Case '84<br />

James Howard Durkin, husband of Mary and father of Jim Durkin,<br />

Dennis Durkin (deceased), Coleen Durkin '71 (deceased), Ann Durkin<br />

Crawford '72 and Katie (Kelly '80) Durkin Cronin '80, and grandfather<br />

of Connor '09 and Emma Cronin '13<br />

Frank Elizares, husband of Margaret and father of Jack '71, Sally '73<br />

and James Elizares '77<br />

Cheryl <strong>The</strong>resa Jones Frank ’67, wife of Barry Frank and mother of<br />

Michael (Lisa) Roberson, Eric Roberson, Matthew Frank and Michelle<br />

Frank<br />

John Gira Jr., husband of Kathleen Mayer Gira '81 and brother-in-law<br />

of Keith Mayer '82<br />

Richard Himenez ’56<br />

In Memoriam<br />

<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> encourages <strong>The</strong> Dragon readers to forward to the school copies of obituary notices about the passing of O’Dowd<br />

community members so that the names of the deceased can be listed in the In Memoriam section of this magazine. Please send the notices to<br />

Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76, c/o <strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>, 9500 Stearns Ave., Oakland, CA 94605, or e-mail them to lmahoney@<br />

bishopodowd.org. Note: Listings are based on information known at press time and may not include all surviving family members.<br />

43 THE DRAGON<br />

Diane Agostini Jackson ’58, wife of Jim Jackson, mother of Denise,<br />

Keith, Tracy and Summer, and stepmother of Julie and Jill<br />

Fitzroy “Fitz” Killingsworth ’56, husband of Denise and father of Nick<br />

and Adriana Killingsworth<br />

Timmy Knickerbocker ’94<br />

Ron Lappa, husband of Lynda and father of Kelsey '07 and Daniel '04<br />

Lappa<br />

Daniel J. O’Conner, husband of Dorothy Davi O'Conner '58, and father<br />

of Michael O'Conner (Lisa), Patricia Barnes ( Jason), <strong>The</strong>resa Nelms ( Joe)<br />

and Timothy O'Conner (Tara)<br />

Joan Heier McCormick ’65<br />

Lawrence E. Murray ’55, brother of Anna Riesing '59, Judith Griffith<br />

and Catherine Galloway '62<br />

Thomas Allen Pullman ’68, brother of Patty Pullman Schoenstein '61,<br />

Barrett Pullman '64, Maggie Pullman Graney '65 (Tim Graney '67) and<br />

Dave Pullman<br />

Maria Ratajczak, former <strong>O'Dowd</strong> faculty member<br />

Edward John Ritelli Sr., father of Mary Patricia McGoldrick, Edward<br />

Ritelli '75 (Teresa Sorisio Ritelli '75), William Ritelli '76(deceased), Beth<br />

Ritelli Sblendorio '78 (Sblend)and Colleen Ritelli '82<br />

Fred Rynders, father of Stephanie '98 and Christopher '01 Rynders<br />

Louise J. Schoenbachler, mother of Susan Schoenbachler Sanford '57,<br />

Maris Schoenbachler Robinson, '61 and mother-in-law of Catherine Joyce<br />

Schoenbachler '55<br />

William (Brad) Shaw ’83, husband of Nicole DeMarais Shaw '81, father<br />

of Gretchen '13 and Andrew Shaw '15, and brother of Michael Shaw '84<br />

Len Silva, husband of Maria Silva, father of Kristin Salinas (Anthony)<br />

and Timothy Silva '04, brother of Ed, Frank, <strong>Bishop</strong> Larry '67 and Trudy<br />

Silva<br />

Laraine Bellinghausen Van Houten ’57, wife of Al Van Houten


<strong>Bishop</strong> O’Dowd <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

A Diocese of Oakland <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />

Accredited by Western Association of <strong>School</strong>s and Colleges<br />

and the Western Catholic Education Association<br />

9500 Stearns Avenue<br />

Oakland, CA 94605<br />

(510) 577-9100<br />

Transforming Lives<br />

Non Profit<br />

Organization<br />

Presort Standard<br />

U.S. POSTAGE<br />

PAID<br />

New Richmond, WI<br />

Permit No. 16<br />

Double the Difference<br />

Your scholarship gift will be matched until<br />

June 30, 2012. Give today and make it possible<br />

for deserving students to experience the power<br />

of an excellent Catholic college-preparatory<br />

education at O’Dowd.<br />

Visit www.bishopodowd.org/giving

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