Welcome to the eighteenth edition of
Memorial Connections,
a monthly electronic newsletter sent to alumni and friends of
San Joaquin Memorial High School.
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SJM Welcomes Back Classes for Reunions on Campus
Memorial has been blessed this month to have alumni back on campus, including for reunions! We recently welcomed back the Class of 1970 for their 50th reunion! Interested in having a reunion on campus? Contact Shirley Boujikian at sboujikian@sjmhs.org
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Memorial Caps Off 75th Anniversary with Founders' Day
Mass and Brunch
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Memorial concluded its 75th anniversary celebration year with a Founders' Day Mass and Brunch on October 1. SJM was also presented with a Congressional Resolution honoring the 75th Anniversary, sponsored by Congressman Jim Costa, SJM Class of 1970. Thank you to everyone who has supported Memorial for the past 75 years!
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2021 Hall of Fame Inductees Honored,
Jerseys Retired
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Memorial celebrated the excellence of its alumni in September with the induction of its 2021 Hall of Fame class. The class was celebrated with a day of events, including an Assembly where the inductees addressed students, a luncheon, recognition at the night's football game, and the dedication of Memorial's new walk of fame, which honors all Hall of Fame inductees.
This year's class was:
Anthony Fiorentino, Class of 1956; Dave Mineau, Class of 1965; Demetra Vincent Walker, Class of 1987; Shad Williams Class of 1989; Brook Lopez, Class of 2006, and Robin Lopez, Class of 2006. Dan Whitehurst, Class of 1965,was honored with the Distinguished Alumni award. Bart Sciacqua, former Memorial Softball Coach, was honored with the Memorial Service Award posthumously. His daughter and grandsons accepted the award on his behalf.
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Memorial also had another exciting event on the same day: the retirement of three jerseys. Quincy Pondexter and Brook and Robin Lopez, all Class of 2006, all had their jerseys from their time at Memorial permanently retired. Mayor Jerry Dyer joined SJM President Michael Burke on the field for the ceremony. Memorial fans also got a special treat: Brook Lopez, who won the NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks this year, brought the NBA trophy to the ceremony.
This trio of players are legends at Memorial. The three spent four years as starters on Memorial’s basketball team and led the Panther Basketball team to the Valley Championship in 2006. All three went on to the NBA. It is unheard of for one high
school basketball team to produce not one, not two, but three 1st round draft picks in the same year.
Brook and Robin have active NBA careers. Brook plays with the champion Milkwaukee Bucks while Robin plays with the Orlando Magic. Quincy had a fulfilling NBA career and currently is the assistant Men’s Basketballl Coach at the University of Washington and a member of the San Joaquin Memorial Board of Directors.
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Click here to view more photos from the exciting day.
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Memorial's 44th Annual Auction Slated for November 13th |
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Dear San Joaquin Memorial Parents, Families, Alumni and Supporters,
We are thrilled to be on the verge of the 44th Annual San Joaquin Memorial High School Auction. As the Auction Chairs, we feel honored to be entrusted with this event that has become a treasured tradition in support of our beloved school. It does not seem so long ago that we walked the halls of SJM as students; now to be involved as parents and alumni, we feel a great responsibility to see great success for an event that is so important to our school and to each and every student.
Like our students, we are extremely grateful to be able to celebrate this important event in person this year. We have all experienced a trying year and a half and have learned to count our blessings in things as simple as coming together. One of the silver linings of this time is the spotlight that was put on our school’s ability to pivot and fight hard for our students to be successful in this unprecedented academic time and, ultimately, to get our students back in school before most other schools were able to accomplish that feat. If we took it for granted before, we now have a renewed appreciation for the value of a private Catholic education. We know it is more important than ever to come together to support the MANY DREAMS and ONE MISSION for our children.
We can’t do this alone. Here is where we need your help:
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Sponsor the event, purchase a table, buy tickets, or advertise in the event program: See the attached invitation or Contact Shirley Boujikian (559) 475-5831 or sboujikian@sjmhs.org for more information.
- Support the Silent Auction. You can do this by purchasing auction items or by donating funds via Venmo or by check. Venmo address is Panther Pete: @Panther-Pete. Please notate that it is for the auction. You may also send a check to SJM, Attention: Shirley Boujikian. Please note “auction” in the memo line. Contact Shannon Stubblefield (559-250-6879) or Karen Jimison (209-612-2828) with questions.
Finally, a big THANKS to our invaluable Auction Committee members who are working tirelessly to make this evening a success, please give them your support:
Sponsorship Chairs: Hillary (Peracchi) Bell ’89 and Stacy Roque
Live Auction Chairs: Amy Thomason and Elizabeth Anderson
Silent Auction Chairs: Shannon Stubblefield and Karen Jimison
Alumni Table: Kristin (Papani) Fitzgerald ’90 and Erica (Prien) Plazanet ’90
Desserts Table: Kristen (Simons) Mowatt ’86
Grandmothers’ Table: Virginia (Latella) Dalena ’64 and Dotti DeMera
His & Her Table: Christa (Soghomonian) Hancer ’95 and Liz Spencer
Holiday Table: Julie Silva and Laura Thompson
Kid/Teen/College Table: Michele (Hill) Kusch ’87
Religion Table: Serena Cantelmi
Sports Table: Kristy Riley, Dorothy (Lima) Christensen ’83 and Alex Delgado
Wine Table: Sandy Peracchi and Jessica Vived
Most Sincerely,
Katie & Mary Beth
Kathleen (Spencer) Farris ’90
Mary Beth (McCann) Plemons ’93
2021 Auction Chairs
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In the light of the tragic death of SJM alumnus Nick Kauls '19, SJM alumni Grant Garry '05, Sharolyn Schmiedier '85 and other supportive SJM friends have brought their talents together to create a documentary project exploring grief. Their documentary "Meet Me Where I Am" will address the stigma surrounding grief and offer hope to grievers. To learn more about this documentary visit this link https://vimeo.com/537798386/df3dedf95b
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Congratulations to Sally Orme Moreno, Class of 1985, and District Attorney, Madera County for being honored as one of Marjaree Mason Center's Top Ten Professional Women of the Year! Read more about the honor at https://mmcenter.org/top-ten
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Emmit Boyer (pictured left), Class of 2021, just graduated from SJM earlier this year, but the UC Davis student is already hard at work: he just published his first novel, an electrifying piece called Harbingers of Fate: The Sentinels. Read more about the book at https://www.harbingersoffate.com/shop
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Emily Douty '21 Honored by Assemblyman Jim Patterson
Emily Douty '21 was recently honored by Assemblyman Jim Patterson and seems to have a bright future ahead of her. She received her start in politics when SJM shared in fall 2020 that interns were needed to serve on Congressman David Valadao’s election campaign. She became one of the lead team interns and has continued to serve as a delegate for Fernando Banuelos. This summer, she began her internship working with Assemblyman Jim Patterson from CA’s 23rd district, supporting the people of CA by assisting with EDD unemployment issues.
"We know the Lord is using the outstanding education and strong foundational Christian values taught at St. Anthony’s and San Joaquin Memorial to prepare her for her next chapter in life," said Natalie Giannetta Douty. "She heads to Cal Poly on Tuesday September 14 where she will major in Political Science and minor in English. She plans to become an attorney and work in public service in the area of politics."
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You may have graduated from San Joaquin Memorial High School, but that doesn't mean you're not still family. Let us know about your happy life moments: births, weddings and anniversary and we will feature your moments in Memorial Connections! It's simple. Just email japplegate@sjmhs.org with your announcement and the year you graduated.
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May They Rest in Peace... with God Forever
Harriet Anne Cameron Andris '51 passed away September 19, 2021. She is the sister of Barbara Cameron Wagner '53, Carolyn Cameron Willhoit '56 and Margaret Cameron Castelazo '58 and the sister-in-law of Thomas Castelazo '58. She is the aunt of Thomas Castelazo '82, Susan Castelazo Morgan '84 and Mark Castelazo '88. She is the cousin of James Northrup '48 and Fr. Gerald Northrup '52. Read more about her life at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/fresnobee/name/harriett-andris-obituary?pid=200242662
Carol DuPertuis passed away earlier this year. She is the wife of Dennis DuPertuis, long-time employee of San Joaquin Memorial High School who is now retired. Carol and her family were always very supportive of Dennis while he was here at Memorial, so much so that Carol's mom would bake him a cake for his birthday and bring it to school for him to share with us.
Loomis M. Hays '55 passed away in September 2021.
James “Jim” Cosentino passed away May 25, 2021. He was the spouse of Angelina “Gina” Calzone Cosentino '63 and the father of Vincent J. Cosentino '90. He was the brother-in-law of Madeline Calzone Tosto '59, uncle of Mariangela (Mimi) Tosto Fanucchi '88 (married to Edward Fanucchi '88) and great uncle of Luca Fanucchi '21 and Maria Sofia Fanucchi '23. Read more about his life at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/fresno-ca/james-cosentino-10219976
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Call for Class Notes
Have you recently gotten married, had a baby or experienced a big life moment that you want to share with your fellow Memorial alumni? Have updates about your reunion? Share them with us! Submit announcements to advancement@sjmhs.org.
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Alumni Contact Update
Panther Alums, even though your time here at Memorial has passed, this is still your home! Please stay connected with us so that you can be part of our exciting engagement opportunities such as our sporting event pre-game dinners, alumni mixers and so much more! To stay connected, please fill out this form.
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Call for SJM Memorabilia
Do you have SJM memorabilia from the past 75 years? If you have items you would like to share with us for our 75th anniversary, please contact Shirley Boujikian at sboujikian@sjmhs.org
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