Class Notes: 1979
Katy Dickinson ’79 earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Union‘s Berkeley School of Theology in May 2025. Her dissertation title was, “Transforming Literature of the Bible in Jail.” BST honored her with the 2025 Keith A. Russell Award for Prophetic Leadership in Community Ministry. After over thirty years in Silicon Valley R&D, in 2015 she became a jail...
Susan Robison ’79 writes: A few days after I retired in 2019 I began writing Halley and the Mystery of the Lost Girls, a young adult historical adventure, about a 15 year old girl who goes with her father to India in 1952. Shortly after they arrive in Bombay (Mumbai) Halley discovers that the young woman in the hotel room next to hers is a prisoner. When the young woman disappears, Halley is...
As a Berkeley student, Randy Hall ’79, MS ’80, PhD ’82 was an original member of the student co-op Kingman Hall. Kingman Hall was named for Harry Kingman, a founder of the co-op system that has housed thousands of students over the decades.
Kerr’s book The Uses of the University has been an inspiration for Randy. Kerr depicts universities as “multiversities,” due to their broad...
Maximilian B. Torres writes: “My 13-year-old son, Gabriel Anthony Torres, the last of our eight children, hugged Pope Francis at a Wednesday audience on December 1, 2021. The Vatican posted it on the Pope’s Instagram page. My son was wearing my Cal sweatshirt, which is clearly visible in the Vatican photos. I am the Della Ratta Family Endowed Professor of Business at the Busch School of...
Michael J. Coffino, J.D. ’79, writes: “After 40 years of law practice and 25 parallel years as a high school basketball coach, I became a professional writer. Since then, I have authored and co-authored eight published books. The most recent is my debut (and award-winning) novel, Truth Is in the House, a work of historical fiction. It tells the tale of two teenage boys—one of color from Jim...
