2010 Reunions Draw Alumni from Eight Classes to King Hall
UC Davis School of Law alumni from eight classes returned to King Hall on October 16 for one of the most well-attended and successful reunions in the Law School's history. Alumni from the classes of 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005 came together to mingle and reminisce, enjoy lunch, tour the King Hall building's new east wing, and listen to addresses from Dean Kevin R. Johnson, Alumni Board President John Schick '72, and representatives from each class.
With approximately 250 attending, the reunion turnout was one of the largest ever. King Hall alumni, many attending with their families, filled the new UC Davis Conference Center for the reunion luncheon. Several members faculty attended, including Professors Emeriti Jerry Adler, Jack Ayer, Joel Dobris, John Poulos, Martha West, and Richard Wydick, as well as Professors Alan Brownstein, Edward Imwinkelried, Rex Perschbacher, and Krystal Callaway Jaime.
Dean Johnson opened the proceedings with a welcoming address that touched on the many recent accomplishments of the Law School, including the completion of construction of the new east wing, rising national ratings and student applications, outstanding bar passage rate, fundraising successes, and the appointment of Tani Cantil-Sakauye '84 as Chief Justice of California.
"There are great things happening, and there are going to be many more to come," said Dean Johnson. "I look forward to partnering with you as we work together to offer the next generation of students the best public legal education available today."
In addition to welcome remarks from Dean Johnson and John Schick, alumni heard from class representatives James Chandler ‘70, Phil Satre '75, Carol Livingston '80, Cathy Leacox Farman '85, Steven Knott '90, Peter Meier '95, Patrick Mcgilvray '00, and Sean Dabel '05. Current Law Students Association President Scott Vignos '11 also spoke, and Alumni Association Board Member Tom Stallard '75 acted as master of ceremonies.
Remarks ranged from the nostalgic to the comical, with several speakers remarking on favorite faculty members and fond memories of their times as students. Many commented on the strength of the King Hall community as evidenced by the large turnout for the reunion and by the fact that several alumni have children who attended UC Davis School of Law. Another common theme was the drastic differences in student fees paid by alumni from the earliest and most recent graduating classes.
"A remarkable number of our children and the children of other alumni have pursued their legal education at King Hall, and I think it's very telling," said Phil Satre, whose daughter, Jessica, is a member of the King Hall Class of 2012. "Unless we are really hard-bitten, we aspire for our children to go to a place that will be great for them and make them a better lawyer, if that's what they want to be, and a better person for the experience. King Hall has done that for 45 years. The only problem is that it cost me $670 in tuition in 1975 to get the benefits of that great law school education. For our daughter Jessica, and her classmates in the class of 2002, that annual tuition is astronomical."
"It's amazing what students are paying nowadays," said Sean Dabel. "When we came in as a class in 2002, it was $11,000 per year for tuition. By the time we left it had gone up to $21,000 per year. Now looking at it, folks are paying $41,000 a year for tuition, and that is unbelievable. If you do have the ability to give back and try to help with scholarships, you can help make sure that UC Davis is still able to get the best students."
All of the classes involved in the 2010 milestone reunions organized class gifts in support of scholarships, the King Hall Expansion and Renovation Project, and the King Hall Annual Fund.
Following the reception, many alumni toured the King Hall building's new wing and socialized at a mixer in the courtyard and many of the classes held organized events including dinners and receptions.