On Thursday, September 13, nearly 100 current and former members of the Cal Alumni Association (CAA) Board of Directors came together for a reunion event. Special guests included Jim Knowlton, Director of Athletics at UC Berkeley, as well as former CAA Executive Directors Bert Barker ’57; Jim Burk ’62, MBA ’63; and Tuck Coop ’67.
All in attendance—including our eldest former Board member in attendance, George Nicholau ’43, and our current CAA Student Director, Michael Steckler ’19—had a wonderful evening celebrating CAA’s legacy of leadership.
CAA President Eric Mart ’70 opened the evening by welcoming attendees, and remarked that members of the board both past and present are all part of “an enduring legacy of community, camaraderie, and Golden Bear Spirit.” Mart pointed out that CAA has been a critical part of the fabric of Cal from the very beginning: Cal’s first graduating class, known as the “twelve apostles,” founded our alumni association in 1872. Cal’s newest Director of Athletics, Jim Knowlton, kicked off his remarks with a fun and informative quiz. He also spoke about the ongoing strong partnership between CAA and Cal Athletics and participated in a lively Q&A with attendees.
CAA Executive Director Clothilde Hewlett ’76 J.D. ’79 noted that without the leadership, vision, and generosity of CAA’s Board of Directors, the organization’s diverse offering of programs, professional networking venues, events, scholarships, and service opportunities would not exist. “We are all proof that even when you graduate, even when your board term ends, Cal and CAA stay with you. We’re a golden fellowship of alumni, dedicated to building the pipeline for the next generation of leaders. Alumni House is our home at Cal—and we’re happy that you’re home with us tonight.”
