From Bellarmine College Prep to SCU, Richard Reilley ’72 was educated in the Jesuit tradition. He was a proud and loyal alum and continued his spiritual growth as a member of St. Ignatius Parish in San Francisco. Dick was a singular intellect, a classicist, fluent in Latin, Ancient Greek, and James Joyce. A lawyer by […]

George Costouros MBA ’68 PhD ’72 believed that focusing on his education would bring opportunities for a better life. As an officer in the Greek Air Force, he traveled throughout Greece after World War II and frequently worked alongside US Air Force members. He later became a tenured, full-time professor at San Jose State University’s business […]

A beloved family man, Michael Hurley MBA ’72 died on September 25, 2022. He held a variety of both engineering and management roles before joining IBM for an almost 40-year career. Mike’s greatest love was his family. Family life was filled with swim meets at Cupertino Hills, soccer games where Mike volunteered as coach, ski […]

Charles Schmelzer ’72 was a lifelong choral singer both while in school and for many years with St. Victor’s Church. In retirement, he enjoyed woodworking and volunteered at the local hospital. He also traveled extensively throughout North America by motorhome with his wife, Joann, and their RV groups. Charles died on November 3, 2022.

Josephine Hernandez M.A. ’72 was a firm believer in education and giving back to the community. She thrived at school and had a successful career as a Registered Nurse. Later, Jo worked for four years as a guidance counselor at San Jose High School before beginning a 20-year career at West Valley-Mission Community College District. […]

Among his many accomplishments, Richard DeBlasio ’72 led the development of key standards to support a national energy grid. He worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for nearly 40 years, serving as a senior research fellow emeritus. Previously, he was a senior research engineer with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and a member […]

A multiple sclerosis diagnosis helped Edward M. Dowd ’72 discover a love and devotion to art and philanthropy. He found a way to combine the two passions, which have the power to inspire and heal others. In 2014, he made a significant donation to SCU, establishing the Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Building […]

After a battle with Parkinson’s Disease and heart disease Delbert M. Siemsen J.D. ’72 died peacefully on July 4, 2020. In Milwaukee, he met and married his wife, Margaret Gould. The two would move around California before settling down in Durham. Del discovered his true calling was farming. Over the years, he and Margaret farmed […]

Mary C. Ganahl ’72 retired after 35 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Her new focus is her three grandchildren, traveling, and sailing.

John A. Brooks MBA ’72 retired from his position as Plant Controller at Sanmina Corp. Since retirement, Brooks has caught up on reading, investments, traveling. He’s active in church and has had fun with fellow retirees at retirement groups.

Lila Nielson Walters M.S. ’72  died on January 4, 2021, at Sunrise Assisted Living facility in Danville, California, where she was cared for with great attention and kindness. Lila came to Salinas in 1947 from her native Mississippi after graduating from Blue Mountain College, and initially worked as a bookkeeper for Tynan Lumber Company. Possessing a thirst […]

Robert E. Hales J.D. ’72 died peacefully from congestive heart failure on December 19, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Philadelphia, Bob attended Lower Merion High School and earned a bachelor of science from St. Joseph’s University before serving as a First Lieutenant for the United States Air Force. Bob married the love of […]

Tim Smith ’72, M.S. ’78 and his wife Peggy (Augustine) ’72 are relocating from their long time Nevada City, California-area home to Paradise Valley, Arizona, to be closer to Peggy’s family. The youngest of their four children has also recently relocated to Arizona as a senior mechanical engineer for a local firm. The couple will […]

Charles F. Edgemon J.D. ’72 was born in Spokane, Washington, where he lived and loved airplanes, eventually earning a student pilot licence. Chuck joined the Air Force in 1954, moved to California, and a year later obtained his private pilot’s license. In four years, he became a staff sergeant and was selected by his commanding […]

An Eagle Scout, a railroad man, and an engineer with Lockheed, Larry Helmandollar MS ’72 followed education to the skies. He also parented three children and retired at Lake Oswego, Ore., where he golfed, gardened, and pursued his love nature photography and his church. He died June 6, 3030.

Longtime feminist activist Lynne Yates-Carter ’72, JD ’76 practiced family law for more than 40 years, abiding by the motto from storied community organizer Mother Jones, “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” Born in Oakland, Calif., and adopted by Charles Merton Yates and Berenice Yates at birth, Lynne and her […]

First as a pharmaceutical chemist and later as a marketer, Robert L. Dehn MBA MBA ’72, spent his career at Stanford Research Institute, which later became SRI International. It was also at SRI that he met his wife of 52 years, Fran McGroary. He served on the Menlo Park Library Commission for 11 years, as commissioner and later […]

Jefferson Davis Montgomery Jr. MBA ’72 was born on June 23, 1928, in Frenchtown, Arkansas, to Clarcie Opal Williams Montgomery and Jefferson Davis Montgomery. Jeff graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology and SCU. A global traveler, he was active in his community as a member of the Congregational Church of Belmont, the Democratic Party, […]

The third of six children, Tom De Coursey ’72 was born to Maggie and Bill De Coursey on July 9, 1950, in Redlands, California. Raised in a deeply rooted Irish Catholic home, his education—both academic and moral—included graduating from Holy Family Elementary, Servite High, and SCU. He completed his MBA at CSU Long Beach, and for over 40 years worked as a managerial accountant in the aerospace industry. […]

Laurence E. Peterson J.D. ’72 was born to Elgin and Dorene Layne Peterson in the farming community of Stirling, Alberta. The youngest of five, he was raised by parents who taught him how to work, love, and serve his family, community, and faith—to his last breath. In his youth he earned his pilot’s license while […]