When Greta Newgren Fitzgerald ’02 got into Santa Clara University, it was as though her mother, Gayle Newgren, knew she’d be OK. She just relaxed in some ways, Fitzgerald says.
After all, Fitzgerald’s grandfather, Robert E. Jones ’48, didn’t just attend SCU. He helped design many notable buildings on campus, including Swig Hall, Dunne and McGlaughlin Halls, the Graham Complex, Sullivan Engineering, and Benson Center. The family definitely left an impression on campus—and that relationship works both ways.
“SCU really set me on my path,” says Fitzgerald, a mother of three, business owner and HR consultant, and co-founder of the nonprofit Drive for Discovery Golf Tournament, a three-year-old event that raises money for cancer research in honor of Newgren, who died in 2019.
Newgren took to golf upon retirement from IBM, traveling the world to play various courses. “She knew how to work hard and play hard,” Fitzgerald says. “She got that from her dad, who got it from SCU.”
So far, funding from previous year’s tournaments has supported research, including deepening our understanding of pancreatic cancer.
And, like many SCU ventures, the tournament is supported by members of the wider Bronco family—Bronco volunteers serve up mixed drinks on the green, and others are regular participants.
The 2022 Drive for Discovery Golf Tournament is on Aug. 15 at Almaden Country Club.