Santa Clara Magazine

The Father of the Family: A Christian Perspective, by Clayton Barbeau M.A. ’59, is now in its 55th year in print. First begun while a student on campus, the seven chapters took seven weeks to complete. The book was translated into Italian at the request of Cardinal Tisserant for use by the Vatican Council II fathers who were working on marriage and family issues. When Barbeau’s copies first arrived, he discovered that every chapter in the book was preceded by a paragraph from one of the Council documents. The Croation edition followed the Italian edition, and the English language editions followed suit.

Burman Skrable ’65 welcomed his fifth grandchild on Oct. 22, 2016, which is also the feast day of St. John Paul the Great.

Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg ’66 serves as chief of staff of the United States National Security Council in the Trump administration. Previously, he served as interim national security advisor following Mike Flynn’s resignation. At SCU, he played on the football team alongside Joe Franzia ’64, MBA ’65, studied political science, and was a member of the Rodents, Class of ’66.

Larry Tomassini ’67 writes: “I am completing my 24th year on the accounting faculty at Ohio State University as well as my 48th year of teaching, which began during my doctoral program at UCLA. Living in Columbus, Ohio, with my wife, Eve, and my three adult children.”

Gary T. Shara '67, J.D. '70 is a business and corporate attorney in San Jose. He is a Professor of Law at Lincoln Law School and for 18 years, an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business at California State University Monterey Bay. For ten years, Gary hosted a weekly cable television interview show called "Minding Your Business." He and his wife Kay are actively involved in the Rotary Club of San Jose and Gary will serve as President in 2018-2019. They enjoy spending time with their 7 grandchildren.

John U. Fry MBA ’67 was appointed by the Superior Court of Santa Cruz, CA for one year of service (2016-17) on the Santa Cruz County Civil GrandJury. He is Chair of the Cities & Counties Committee and member of the SpecialDistricts Committee while concurrently a member of the Grand Jury Panel. TheCivil grand Jury investigative assignments include governmental operations of theMetro Transportation System, School Districts, County Library, Fire Districts,County Health Programs, jail operations, and citizen complaints filed with regard to the management of governmental agencies. This is a non-paid volunteer public service assignment. John serves on the Grand Jury, a judicial branch of government, a voice of the citizens of Santa Cruz County to assure honest and efficient government, that public officials are performing their duties responsibly and in a legal manner, and tax monies are spent judiciously. 

Donald Sullivan ’68, J.D. ’71 retired on March 1, 2017, as a Superior Court judge for the State of California, County of San Francisco. Sullivan lives in Mill Valley with his wife, Genevieve, who continues to teach French. The pair travel a lot, preferring it over housework any day! 

John Ottoboni '69 is the 2017 winner of the Santa Clara Law Amicus Award. He joined Santa Clara University in 2007 as its General Counsel. Prior to coming to the University, John was a partner and one of the founding members of the firm Ferrari, Ottoboni, Caputo & Wunderling. John served as outside General Counsel to Santa Clara University while at the firm for approximately five years.

John oversees a wide range of legal matters related to the University. John serves as the Assistant Secretary of the University, and as staff liaison to the Board of Trustees and a number of Board Committees.

Cathy (Carlos) De Maria '70, M.A. '71 received an Honorary Diploma at the Annual Commencement Ceremony from and for Sacred Heart Nativity Schools, San Jose, by President Sonya Arriola for "exemplary service on behalf of Sacred Heart Nativity Schools." She and her husband, Joe, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on February 16, 2017 with Mass and Renewal of their Vows in the Mission Church - where it all started 25 years ago!

Christine Russell ’71, MBA ’83 has been appointed to the board of directors of eGain, a leading provider of cloud customer engagement solutions. Russell is CFO of UniPixel and a director and audit committee chair of QuickLogic Corporation. Prior to joining UniPixel in 2015, she served as CFO for a number of technology companies, including Vendavo, a leading provider of SaaS pricing optimization software; EAG; Virage Logic; and OuterBay Technologies. Russell serves on the board and is a former chair of Silicon Valley Directors Exchange (SVDX). She has also served as president of Financial Executives International (Silicon Valley Chapter) and is an emeritus member of the Leavey School of Business advisory board.

Daniel Selmi ’72, J.D. ’75 was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown '59, to the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Board. Selmi has been a professor of law at Loyola Law School since 1983. He served as a deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 1976 to 1983 and as a law clerk for the Honorable Manuel L. Real at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California from 1975 to 1976.

Charlie Rausch ’72 was appointed interim chief zoning administrator for the Department of City Planning in Los Angeles. Rausch has worked for the city for the past 40 years and is still having fun!

Thirty-seven years ago, Esteban Valenzuela J.D. '76 founded the Law Offices Of Esteban L. Valenzuela & Associates, in Santa Maria, California. Valenzuela is an accomplished trial attorney and has litigated cases in the Superior Courts, the Court of Appeals, and before the Supreme Court. He assists clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases.  He is also a decorated Vietnam veteran, U.S. Marine Corps, E-4.

Retired Superior Court Judge, County of Santa Clara, Eugene M. Hyman J.D. '77 continues to speak to both national and international audiences about, and publish articles on, issues surrounding domestic violence in the criminal and family courts--especially with co-occurring issues of substance abuse and mental health. He has a special interest in domestic violence as it affects children in the home and in the family court setting. He has special understanding of sexual abuse, stalking, and strangulation, as they intersect with domestic violence. Hyman taught as a Lecturer in Law at the Santa Clara University School of Law for over 25 years where he has taught a course "Domestic Violence Law Seminar" for the past several years.

Member of the SCU Law School Board of Visitors Howard Peters J.D. ’78, and wife Sally Peters, received the 2016 Helen M. Free Award for outstanding public outreach from the American Chemical Society. Both former laboratory chemists, they were honored at a ceremony in Philadelphia in August 2016. For nearly 20 years, the Peters have toured the United States sharing their signature presentation, “Chocolate — Food of the Gods,” which explores the history and chemistry of one of America’s favorite treats.

They also have been scientist-author lecturers on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and on Princess Cruises ships. Other venues have included churches, science clubs, children’s museums and schools. Through these activities, they say they have reached out to virtually every demographic, including underrepresented groups in science. They spoke at SCU Law Alumni Reunions in 2015 and 2016, presenting "Chocolate: A Religious Experience" with samples and a free raffle for a 10-pound bar of bittersweet chocolate.

Patrick Maher ’78 is senior counsel in the Dallas office of Ogletree Deakins. He is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Maher is a past chair of the State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Section and of the Tarrant County Bar Labor and Employment Law Section. He previously served as chair of the Council of Section Chairs and as a section representative for the board of directors of the State Bar of Texas.

Nancy Allen Lee ’78 retired from Ross Stores Inc. in 2014 after 24 years. She moved to a wonderful community on Lake Wylie in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2016. She writes, “My youngest is a senior at SCU. I've been married 28 years. Loving retirement!” 

Mario Cordero J.D. ’78 has been named executive director of the Port of Long Beach, California, the second largest container port in the U.S. Previously, he served as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission on appointment by President Obama.