Class Notes

Jason McGrath '98 (in uniform) is joined by fellow USF alumni in Virginia at his retirement after 25 years in the Army Reserve. From left: Niall Adler '98, Jason McGrath '98, Tiffany Johnson '97, Tom Curteman '98, Jen Strohecker '97, and John Strohecker '96.

’53 Stanley D. Smith writes, “I have fond memories of my years at USF. I played on the famous USF tennis team in 1949 and 1950. I was the tennis pro at the Olympic Club for several years. I sold insurance for 64 years. My wife and I are retired in Mill Valley. Our daughter and her family live in Marin.”

’62 William H. Gallagher is retired as parking programs coordinator for the city of Santa Rosa. Gallagher, who is also a retired U.S. Navy air traffic controller, played  senior slow-pitch softball from 2001–2018.

’63 Dudley L. Poston Jr., emeritus professor of sociology at Texas A&M University, writes that he was inspired by Fr. Eugene Schallert and Ralph Lane, the only two faculty members of the USF sociology department when he took sociology classes at USF in the early 1960s. Poston, now retired, went on to a 49-year career as a sociology professor.

’68 John A. Vignol MA ’73 retired in May 2023 after teaching for 47 years, the last 39 at St. Augustine High School in San Diego.
 

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Sarah Cronin MFA ’24
It's a huge honor to be invited back to my alma mater, University of San Francisco, to teach an intro to creative writing course for non-English majors. I love working with undergraduates, particularly students who may not consider themselves writers (yet!). I'm looking forward to witnessing the growth to come this semester!

’70 Andrew S. Pomykalski this year attended his eigth grade reunion of the class of 1962 from Holy Name Grammar School in San Francisco. Fifty of the 104 attended. “It was great to see so many faces once again.”

’72 James L. Broderick, a psychologist in private practice in Santa Barbara, recently published History of Psychology Through Symbols: From Reflective Study to Active Engagement, a two-volume set.
 
’72 Cynthia Colby writes, “In 2019 my husband and I bought a small, 300-year-old stone house in the town center of Montignac-Lascaux, in the southwest of France where the renowned Lascaux painted cave and many other prehistoric and medieval sites are located. We spend a good amount of time there since our retirement a few years ago. It is a beautiful, enchanting region and we are so grateful to be able to finally fulfill our dream.”

’78 Mihoko Tokoro is a project manager at Picture Head, a subtitling production and streaming company in Los Angeles. She has worked in the Hollywood post-production field for more than 30 years.
 

’80 Al Galindo, a retired energy executive, met with the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to discuss energy services for the organization’s retirement home for priests and nuns in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

’84 Franklin B. Fong writes, “Happily retired in 2024! Just celebrated my 31st wedding anniversary with my life partner, Cynthia, and am excited for the retirement years to come.”

’91 Erin O’Neill Hallissy established a new law firm, Schonbuch Hallissy LLP, which specializes in civil litigation in California. Erin has been married for more than 30 years to James M. Hallissy ’89, whom she met at USF.

’92 Congressman Kevin Mullin joined Dennis Lucey ’63 and Pam Lucey as they welcomed the prime minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, at the annual American Ireland Fund Gala in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Dennis Lucey was a national chair of the event, which raised $1.2 million for nonprofit organizations in Ireland and the U.S.

’94 Laurie Ann Hudelson MA ’05 has been a physical education instructor at Burlingame High School for 20 years. Her daughter Alyssa Reil ’22, MA ’23 followed in her footsteps and graduated summa cum laude from USF.

’95 Ricardo Peralta, owner of Optical Jedi in Fullerton, California, writes, “I was honored at the 2024 Transitions Academy as the 2023 healthy sight ambassador at the innovation awards for my work in spreading awareness and methods for improving eyecare.”
 

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Daisy Hernandez MBA ’24
@theapartmentplugsf and @daisysdays: Life has been feeling unreal recently thanks to you guys🤍 This platform is nothing without you. Thank you. 🙏🏽 Thank you @usfca for the recognition, I am truly honored and proud to be a USF MBA!

’03 Timothy Lucas Reed was appointed to the board of directors for the Alameda Health System Foundation.

’03 Jacqueline Zadik received a graduate certification in business communications from Harvard Extension School.

’05 Josh Harris, owner of Trick Dog bar in San Francisco, which serves craft and nonalcoholic cocktails, is an adviser to several nonalcoholic drink brands.

’06 Elizabeth Greenwood, author of Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud and Love Lockdown: Dating, Sex, and Marriage in America's Prisons, gave the commencement address this year at Hull High School in Hull, Massachusetts.

’06 Tedde Simon was appointed by UC Berkeley as its first tribal liaison and director of tribal relations. Previously, Simon led the American Civil Liberties Union of North America’s Indigenous advocacy initiatives.

’09 Ty Segall, a key player in San Francisco’s 2010s garage rock heyday, released an album earlier this year called Three Bells. Now living in Los Angeles, Segall returned to San Francisco earlier this year to play the Great American Music Hall.

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Hannah Mora ’10
My heart is so full after an amazing weekend reuniting with wonderful friends back in the city we called home 🌉 as college students at University of San Francisco 💚💛 It was so fun to be back on campus and visiting our old stomping grounds together. We can't wait to get the next one on the calendar! #usfca #usfcaalumni #SanFrancisco

’13 Arianna Paz Chavez, an art history and museum studies major, is executive director of Arte Americas: Mexican Art Center in Fresno. Her team received a $555,195 Institute of Museum and Library Services grant to establish a new museum internship program for undergraduate Latinx students.

’17 Joy Inji Kim, a senior clinical research assistant with Oregon Health and Science University, is attending Pacific Northwest University’s doctor of osteopathic medicine program.

’17 Miriam Uribe, one of USF Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in 2021, has been named by the Ignatian Solidarity Network as a 2024 Emerging Leader for Justice honoree. Uribe is undocumented and from Mexico and is a champion for immigrant workers’ rights in Brooklyn, New York, where she lives. She started as an advocate for domestic workers. In 2022, she became a tech policy specialist on workers’ rights and is now pushing for ethical labor practices in the tech industry.

’18 Andy Chan returned to USF in 2023 as the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution AANAPISI program manager.

’18 Alex Phuong-Thao Nguyen is chief of staff of Twine Family Office in Miami, Florida, the company behind the Briogeo hair-care line.

’19 Aniruddh Bisaria, founder of The Matchbox digital marketing and media agency, gave a TEDx Talk on marketing, AI, and economics.

’19 Chloe Renee Jacobs, a mental health clinician at Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, California, graduated from Columbia University School of Social Work in 2022, married Nikolaus Jacobs ’19, and is working toward becoming a licensed clinical social worker.

’19 Priscilla Sofia Posada-Pedrin is a founder and board member of Immigration Psychology Partnerships in San Diego, which aims to provide affordable immigration evaluations for those in need in California.

’21 Audrey Chau Tran, a content programs manager at AMD’s data center in Santa Clara, writes, “Happily working in the fast-paced realm of data centers and AI at AMD!”

’24 Moritz Hoffmann, a former USF tennis player, is competing on the professional tennis circuit. “I would be happy with any support from the Dons family in the future!”

’24 Megha Uditi Jain is a Double Don, enrolled in the master’s counseling psychology program with a concentration in marriage and family therapy.

’24 Courtney Tu Trinh Hoang is working as a realtor in Elk Grove, California.
 

’71 Joseph N. Shahpar MBA writes, “Have been roaming in Asia, in China for the past month, soaking my knowledge of the Asian way of life.”

’88 Kenneth W. Hogarty EdD published an essay in The Under Review online journal about Bill Henneberry ’52 and the 1951 USF football team.

’93 John Patrick McGarry, S.J. MA, the Santa Clara University director of campus ministry, writes, “After 14 years as a member of the USF Board of Trustees and 30 years in leadership and administration in various Jesuit institutions throughout California, I took a personal sabbatical time of renewal in 2023. On Feb. 1, 2024, I began my new mission at Santa Clara University.”

’94 Otis Felder JD, an attorney with Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman and Dicker in Los Angeles, went back to school and earned an MA in psychology from Harvard University in May 2024. He first sought admission to Harvard 35 years ago but he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. In 2019, he began taking courses at the Harvard Extension School and officially became a graduate student in 2021. He took one course each semester after that.

’98 Frederick J. Kuo MA started a new job as senior director of development at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut.
 

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Patranya Bhoolsuwan ’98 
@patranya: I wouldn’t be where I am today if @kron4tv in San Francisco didn’t give a shot to a @usfca international student/college freshman to be their newsroom intern so many years ago. Love to see how things have come full circle as I introduced my current intern to my former intern now rocking her own TV show as an executive producer!

’00 Miles Baker Cooper JD sat down with his former evidence professor, former law school dean, retired Superior Court judge, and now JAMS mediator Jeffrey Brand for a podcast interview about Brand's path, experiences, and wisdom for future generations. The podcast is called Coopers' Code.

’01 Amanda Lisa Riddle JD is managing partner with Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi  & Riddle, which partnered with the San Mateo County Bar Foundation to launch a legacy scholarship for law students. The goal of the scholarship is to increase diversity in the legal profession.

’03 Anne Cherry Barnett JD was promoted to senior director of the employment legal department at Lyft, Inc. She is on the legal leadership team and leads the employment legal function at the San Francisco–based ride-sharing company.  She resides in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Jason, daughter, Sophie, and two pugs, Frank and Tiki.

’04 Tara August MA founded her own company, A Type Inc., a talent firm in the sports and entertainment industry that is based in Atlanta.

’08 Alex Montoya MA is a public speaker on diversity and motivation. He recently published a children’s book on inclusion, Alex Spills the Candy.
 

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Manuel Alejandro Pérez EdD ’17
@usfcasoe: Join us in congratulating our alum from the International & Multicultural Education EdD program, Dr. Manuel Alejandro Pérez, on being newly appointed as president of College of San Mateo! 🎉

’10 Kelsey Rae Dimberg MFA wrote a literary thriller, Snake Oil, published in September by HarperCollins. The book is about the dark side of wellness, girlbossing, and startup culture. She published Girl in the Rearview Mirror in 2019.

’12 S. Isabel Choi MFA is one of 35 writers selected to receive a 2024 Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Choi, formerly an attorney, recently finished a generational memoir on the legacy of loss and illness titled Let the River Run, inspired by the story of her grandfather, the chief justice of South Korea’s supreme court from 1981 to 1986.

’14 Candace (Candy) Campbell DNP performed her one-person show, Florence Nightingale Live, on the East Coast and also in the Bay Area earlier this year. The play tells the nurse’s story and describes her life as a social reformer.

’14 Lydia Hsu JD, founder and partner in Foster Hsu LLP in San Jose, is a certified family law specialist.

’21 Breanna Williams MPH/MS, public health educator with San Joaquin County Public Health Services, writes, “I currently oversee the county's Local Oral Health Program (LOHP), aimed to improve the oral health status of families in the county. The LOHP has been established in partnership with the San Joaquin Treatment + Education for Everyone on Teeth + Health (SJ TEETH) Coalition, to improve dental health in the county, with a special focus on reaching the most vulnerable and underserved communities.”

’24 Thalia Selena Williams MA writes, “I am so proud to be graduating from the same school my mother, Dr. Camile Williams, who is also a professor here, got her doctorate in nursing at. To be alumni from the same school is a beautiful work of dedication and passion. Thank you USFCA.”