ALUMNI GIVING
Your gifts to the Law Annual Fund support the law school's highest priorities, allowing us to provide financial aid, clinical programs, attract top faculty and more. Help us continue on the road to excellence. To make a gift please go to the online giving Web site or contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at (619) 260-4692 or dmcintyre@sandiego.edu.

Law Professor's Porsche Finds New Home With Former Student

It's not every day that an alumnus receives a Porsche from a former law professor, but in November 2007, Donald Mayes, '96, received just that from the late Professor Frank A. Engfelt's family.

Longtime USD law school faculty member Professor Frank A. Engfelt passed away on Tuesday, October 4, 2007, after a lengthy illness. Professor Engfelt taught at the law school from 1963 to 2004. Upon his passing, the law school received a flood of emails from alumni sharing their fond memories of him.

Donald's friend, classmate and law alumni association board member Marty B. Lorenzo, '96, wrote, "Every year at the Women's Law Caucus fundraising auction, one of the most popular items was a ride in Professor Engfelt's red 1970 Porsche 911S."

Donald remembered, "My first year contracts course was with Frank Engfelt. I liked him so much that I took every class that he taught while I was at USD law school." Professor Engfelt occasionally used his Porsche in fact patterns to illustrate finer points of law. "Professor Engfelt told us that he called his Porsche 'Hester' because it was a red 'S' and it reminded him of the character Hester Prynne from Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter," Donald continued.

Every year, Professor Engfelt would donate a ride with him and Hester to lunch as an item in the annual Women's Law Caucus fundraising auction. "It was never a matter of 'if' I was going on that trip with Professor Engfelt and Hester, it was just a matter of 'how much' it was going to cost me," Donald reported.

The rides in Hester became a tradition. On a prearranged day one spring weekend of each year that Donald was a law student, he would ride his motorcycle to Professor Engfelt's house and the professor, student and Porsche would head out to San Diego's back country. "One year, I watched Professor Engfelt spryly jump out of Hester's bucket racing-seat and talk his way out of a speeding ticket like only a law professor could," Donald said. On their last ride together, after lunch in Palm Springs, Professor Engfelt handed Donald the keys to Hester and let him drive home. "That's the day that I first felt like a member of the legal profession," Donald remembered proudly.

Over the past ten years, Donald and his wife, Candi (Andresen) Mayes, '96, kept in touch with Professor Engfelt and his wife, Marci. The Engfelts were on the guest list at the Mayes' wedding in May of 1998 and the families exchanged Christmas cards every year.

In the fall of 1996, Donald and Candi were guests for Sunday dinner at the Engfelts' home with Professor Engfelt's daughter, Ann Marie, her husband, Bill, and their two children. After dinner, Professor Engfelt brought Candi out to the garage, and introduced her to Hester. As they were saying their goodbyes, Professor Engfelt suggested that he, Donald and Hester go for a ride again and that, because he didn't drive anymore, Donald could do the driving.

"After Professor Engfelt died, his family gave Hester to me to take care of," Donald said. When Bill told me that the family decided that Hester should go stay with me, I blushed at the idea and offered to sell the car for them but Bill said no, that they just wanted me to take care of her," he continued. Professor Engfelt's family knew that Donald had put himself through college working as an auto mechanic and expected that the old car and the lawyer would be a good match. On the day that Donald went to take Hester out of the garage and bring her to her new home, he told Professor Engfelt's daughter, Ann Marie, "You know, I didn't buy that trip with your father every year just because I liked the car." Ann Marie replied, "I know."

Porsche Excellence magazine is running a story on Hester in its August issue.

LAW SCHOOL BRIEFS

University of San Diego School of Law Holds Fifty-First Commencement Program

The University of San Diego School of Law held its fifty-first commencement program on Saturday, May 17, with over 360 graduates from both the Juris Doctor and Master of Laws programs.

Professor Kris B. Panikowski received the 2007-2008 Thorsnes Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Professors Laurence P. Claus and Orly Lobel received the 2007-2008 Thorsnes Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship. Visiting Professor Graham B. Strong received the 2007-2008 Award to a Visitor for Excellence in Teaching.

Gary W. Schons, '76, was this year's Honorary Coif Recipient. Gary is the senior assistant attorney general of the California Attorney General's Office in San Diego. USD School of Law is a member of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished rank of American law schools. Coif membership is a national badge of quality in legal education and a significant competitive advantage to students pursuing judicial clerkships and other employment opportunities. Only four other Southern California law schools have been invited into the Order of the Coif: University of Southern California; University of California, Los Angeles; Pepperdine; and Loyola Marymount. Students in the upper ten percent of the graduating class are eligible for election to the Order of the Coif.

The Honorable Thomas P. O'Brien, '93, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, gave the commencement address and Jeffrey T. Thomas, '82, President of the USD Law Alumni Association, welcomed recent graduates as alumni. Jeff was the law school's commencement speaker in May 2005 and was awarded with an honorary membership in the Order of the Coif that same year.

USD School of Law Celebrates the Honorable Bruce S. Jenkins Jurist-in-Residence Program at Utah Reception

On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, distinguished jurists, alumni and friends gathered to commemorate the establishment of the Bruce S. Jenkins Jurist-in-Residence Program at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. The program was established by Professor Michael R. Devitt in 2007 to honor United States Senior District Judge, District of Utah, Bruce S. Jenkins.

In addition to bringing top judiciary to the USD School of Law to teach courses about important contemporary judicial issues, the program has increased the visibility of the law school in the Utah legal community.

More than 100 guests celebrated an individual who continues to impact the lives of the many attorneys and individuals who come into his courtroom. The 14 law clerks that attended, including some from out of state, were a testament to the respect that members of the legal community have for Judge Jenkins.

Following brief comments by Dean Kevin Cole, Professor Michael Devitt and Judge Jenkins, the dean presented Judge Jenkins with an award reading as follows, "The Honorable Bruce S. Jenkins Jurist-in-Residence Program established in 2007 through the generosity of Michael R. Devitt. Inaugural Holder United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia."

USD Visiting Professor of Law M. Carr Ferguson, Jr., Receives Distinguished Service Award from ABA Tax Section

USD School of Law Visiting Professor M. Carr Ferguson, Jr. received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation. The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1995, and is presented each year in recognition of a lawyer's exceptional contributions to the tax system and tax bar. This year's award honors Professor Ferguson for his outstanding service to the legal profession, the tax system and tax education.

"Carr Ferguson continues to make significant contributions to the profession, and to improving the tax system," said Stanley L. Blend, chair of the Section of Taxation. "His broad perspective on the world of tax, both within the U.S. and abroad, gives Carr a unique ability to provide advice and counsel to reform efforts and strategies to increase efficiencies in tax systems. He is also renowned for his work as a teacher, lecturer and author, and continues to inspire his law student classes to work toward improving the system."

Professor Ferguson currently teaches a fall semester seminar at New York University School of Law and a spring semester course at USD School of Law. A graduate of Cornell University and Law School, Professor Ferguson began his career as a member of the original class of the Attorney General's Honor Graduate Recruitment Program, serving as a trial attorney and special assistant to the attorney general for five years. After obtaining his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law, he taught law at the University of Iowa, Stanford and New York University for seventeen years.

We congratulate Professor Ferguson on receiving this award.

ALUMNI NEWS AND EVENTS

Welcome New Alumni at the State of California Bar Swearing-In Ceremony & Breakfast
June 5

Dean Kevin Cole and the office of development and alumni relations invite you to breakfast immediately prior to the June California Bar Swearing-In Ceremony.

The Westin Gaslamp Quarter
910 Broadway Circle
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 239-2200

Please RSVP by Friday, May 30, to the office of development and alumni relations at (619) 260-4692 or lawalum@sandiego.edu.

USD Los Angeles Alumni Chapter's Getty Museum Tour and Picnic Lunch
June 28

Join USD Los Angeles-area alumni and friends for a tour of the summer exhibits at the Getty museum, followed by a picnic lunch.

There is no cost for the Getty museum tour. Parking is $8 per vehicle and the picnic box lunch is $12.50 for adults and $8.00 for children. Registration is available online.

USD-Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter's Virginia Wine Country Tour
June 29

Washington, D.C.-area law alumni are invited to the fourth annual USD-Washington, D.C. alumni chapter's Virginia wine country tour. This year's Virginia wine country tour includes visits to Gray Ghost Vineyard and Pearmund Cellars.

Sunday, June 29, 2008
11:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

A limosuine bus will depart from the Vienna Metro station in the North parking garage at 12:00 p.m. to transport guests to the wineries. The bus will return to the Vienna Metro station at approximately 6:00 p.m.

The cost is $45 per person and includes limosuine bus transportation, private wine tastings and tours, picnic hor d'oeuvres, two souvenir wine glasses and a $2 Gray Ghost Vineyard coupon on any wine purchase. Registration is available online.

For more information, please contact USD Alumni Washington D.C. alumni chapter committee member, Glenn White '78 (BA).

USD Orange County Alumni Chapter's Pageant of the Masters Dinner and Performance
August 9

Join USD Orange County alumni and friends for dinner at Tivoli Terrace and the Pageant of the Masters performance.

Saturday, August 9, 2008
4:00 p.m. Festival galleries/exhibits open
6:00 p.m. Cocktail reception at Tivoli Terrace
6:30 p.m. Dinner
8:30 p.m. Performance

Tivoli Terrace and Festival of the Arts
650 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-9650 for Tivoli Terrace
(949) 494-1145 for Festival of the Arts

The Pageant of the Masters is the Festival of Arts' most famous attraction, showcasing ninety minutes of "living pictures"—art re-creations of classical and contemporary works with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. An outdoor amphitheater, professional orchestra, original score, live narration, intricate sets, sophisticated lighting, expert staff, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers have won recognition for the Pageant as the best presentation of its kind. The 2008 Pageant program is "All the World's a Stage."

The cost is $95 per person and includes the art exhibition, appetizers, no-host bar, three-course dinner and the performance. All seats purchased through USD are located in section "Main Tier Right" of amphitheatre. Spaces available for this event are limited.

Sign Up for Career Services USD in LA Interview Day
September 12

Sign up for Career Services' recruiting program in Los Angeles. For the convenience of Los Angeles-area employers, law students will be available for interviews in downtown Los Angeles during the fall recruiting season.

Friday, September 12, 2008
3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Hilton Checkers Hotel Los Angeles
535 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 624-0000

There is no registration fee and, as with USD's fall recruiting program, employers may preselect the candidates. We encourage interested employers to register early, as space is limited. To register for the USD in LA interview day, simply complete the registration form.

For additional information regarding the USD in LA interview day, or other Career Services recruiting programs, please contact Heather Lloyd, Esq., career advisor and employer liaison for the Career Services office, at (619) 260-2752.

All law alumni are invited to attend Law Alumni Weekend, October 3-5, 2008. The weekend will celebrate reunions for 2003, 1998, 1993, 1988, 1983, 1978, 1973, 1968 and 1963. In addition, the Distinguished Alumni Awards luncheon will be held on Friday, October 3, at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego.

If you are interested in serving as a class reunion agent, please contact Shari Baurle, associate director of alumni relations. As a class reunion agent, you will assist the law school by encouraging your classmates to support the law school during Law Alumni Weekend.

More details regarding alumni activities will be announced as they become available. If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please contact the office of development and alumni relations at (619) 260-4692 or lawalum@sandiego.edu.

ON THE MOVE

The Honorable Thomas J. Whelan, '61 (BBA), '65 (JD), Receives the Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award at Alumni Honors

The Honorable Thomas J. Whelan, '61 (BBA), '65 (JD), United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of California, received the Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award at Alumni Honors on Saturday, April 26, at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion in front of an audience of approximately 600 alumni, friends, family and administrators.

The Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award is presented to an alumnus from each of USD's five schools in recognition of his or her extraordinary career achievement.

Judge Whelan launched his legal career as a contracts administrator with General Dynamics, Convair Division. From 1969 to 1989, he was a deputy district attorney for San Diego, and in 1990 he was appointed superior court judge by Governor George Deukmejian and was reelected in 1990 and 1996. He served as assistant presiding judge in 1996 and 1997 and was elected presiding judge in 1998.

In April 1998, Senator Dianne Feinstein recommended Judge Whelan for the prestigious Judgeship of the United States Court. President Clinton nominated Judge Whelan in June 1998, and he was confirmed by the United States Senate and took his oath of office in November 1998. Judge Whelan currently serves on the Ninth Circuit Jury Instruction Committee which is responsible for writing and updating all civil and criminal jury instructions used by federal courts in the nine Western States, the U.S. Territory of Guam and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Judge Whelan has served on the Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2002. View Judge Whelan's Alumni Honors video.