South Texas College of Law / Houston Alumni Magazine No. 10, SPRING 2014

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1 South Texas College of Law / Houston Alumni Magazine No. 10, SPRING 2014 Human Rights First Expands to Houston

2 We are proud to have Human Rights First open its new office here at South Texas.This is an extraordinary group doing important work. This partnership will benefit our students and enhance the efforts of the law school s asylum and human trafficking clinic, which benefits so many in the community. President & Dean Donald J. Guter

3 InRe No. 10, Spring 2014 Contents President & Dean s Letter 03 Alumni President s Letter 25 Features Human Rights First Expands to Houston 04 Leadership for the Future 08 Preparing for the Next Big Step 14 Faculty Profile: Professor James L. Musselman 18 Parks Legacy Lives on at Gala 20 Departments Alumni 26 On Campus 58 Faculty 64 Class Action 70 In Memoriam 78 Cover and opposite page: Photograph by Terry Vine Photography

4 Editorial Advisory Board Gregory A. Brothers Veronica Cantu Geoffrey Corn Maxine Goodman Karen Kimberly Parker Scott Rempell Robert K. Schaffer 84 Tobin Sparling Christina Trunzo INRE Staff Managing Editor Cheryl McEntire Director of Marketing & Communication Services Cheryl McEntire Manager of Public Relations Laura Tolley Art Direction & Design David Powell, Haesun Lerch Writers Stuart Stern, Laura Tolley Illustration Randy Glass Photography Getty Images, Marc Nathan, Terry Vine, Sandy Wilson Printing Chas. P. Young Printing South Texas College Of Law President and Dean Donald J. Guter Board Of Directors Executive Committee Chair J. Kenneth Johnson 86 Michael S. Hays 74 Michael K. Hurst 90 Don D. Jordan 69 Michael W. Milich 97 Imogen S. Papadopoulos 84 Gordon J. Quan 77 Randall O. Sorrels 87 James D. Thompson 86 Board Members Genora A. Boykins 85 Frank de la Grana 78 Ephraim del Pozo 97 Stewart W. Gagnon 74 Bennie Pellerin Green Eva Guzman 89 Gene L. Locke 81 Jeff E. Rusk 83 Amy Dunn Taylor 82 Chairman Emeriti Don D. Jordan 69 Michael S. Hays 74 Alumni Association Officers President Ephraim del Pozo 97 President-Elect Tammy G. Brennig 92 Vice President of Development & Fundraising Committee Bridgett Matthes 99 Vice President of Student & Alumni Committee J. Goodwille Pierre 00 Vice President of Admissions Committee Jon Paul Hoelscher 05 Immediate Past President Kim K. Ogg 86 Alumni Association Directors Darcy M. Douglas 07 Elizabeth W. Dwyer 07 Hilary S. Greene 05 Chris Hanslik 95 Golda R. Jacob 92 Regina M. Jones 98 Walter J. Kronzer III 87 Nicholas J. Lanza 89 Mark T. Lassiter 06 David W. Olson 05 Wade R. Quinn 88 Aaron M. Reimer 07 Peter C. Ruggero 04 Brant J. Stogner 06 Christine Sampson Willie 94 David V. Wilson 93 InRe is published by South Texas College of Law for alumni, board members, faculty, students, staff and friends. Please direct any correspondence or inquiries to Cheryl McEntire, Managing Editor, South Texas College of Law, 1303 San Jacinto, Houston, Texas , , COPYRIGHT 2014 SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE OF LAW, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

5 PRESIDENT & DEAN S LETTER InRe 03 Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning. Those wise words were spoken by Benjamin Franklin and they ring true for me today as I look to the horizon and see so many exciting opportunities for South Texas College of Law. I know the best is ahead of us. We are building on a proud legacy, one that spans 90 years and includes many accomplishments. In this issue of InRe, beginning on page 12, I invite you to browse through nine decades of South Texas history, from our humble beginnings in the downtown YMCA to the law school s being named a best value private law school by the National Jurist magazine. What a ride it has been so far. Did you know our first female graduate (1928) was Ann Marie Hollenberg, or that South Texas surpassed the University of Texas law school enrollment for the first time in 1945 with 99 students? We have so much to be proud of and even more to look forward to here at South Texas, where the board, faculty, staff, and alumni are committed to providing students an excellent education and the guidance necessary to embark on successful careers in the business of law. The Career Resource Center (CRC) is an integral part of this mission. In this issue of InRe, you can read about what the CRC is doing and it is a lot to prepare our students for the real world ahead of them. From offering numerous networking opportunities to individual counseling to holding job fairs, the CRC staff is committed to helping students reach their professional goals. Also in this issue, you can find out about plans for the law school building, which involve an important renovation of the façade that is designed to raise South Texas profile in the downtown community and beyond. Additionally, you can read about Human Rights First s move to South Texas. I am so honored that this organization decided to open its Houston office in the law school. Human Rights First, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, recruits, trains and mentors attorneys to represent asylum seekers on a pro bono basis. South Texas fully understands the importance of having access to quality legal representation. We have our own asylum and human trafficking clinic, which specializes in representing victims of human trafficking. It is part of the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics. This issue of InRe also includes news about alumni events, faculty members, and on-campus activities. You may see yourself on some of the pages or learn about activities you would like to get involved in. Yes, we are building on our achievements and heading into a new era of success. I want to thank you for your support in our efforts to make South Texas the best law school it can be. Donald J. Guter President and Dean

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7 FEATURE InRe 05 Human Rights First Expands to Houston Written by Laura Tolley Photography by Getty Images Refugees resettling in Houston face many struggles, including finding the quality legal representation necessary to sort out their status in the United States. To help meet this ever-growing need, Human Rights First has brought its award-winning pro bono operation to Houston specifically to South Texas College of Law. Human Rights First s new office is located on South Texas ninth floor in downtown Houston. South Texas College of Law President and Dean Donald J. Guter has been a longtime friend and partner of Human Rights First and was instrumental in bringing the organization s Houston office to the law school s facility. Through a unique partnership with private law firms, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization recruits, trains and mentors attorneys to represent asylum seekers on a pro bono basis. We are proud to have Human Rights First open its new office here at South Texas, Guter said. This is an extraordinary group doing important work. This partnership will benefit our students and enhance the efforts of the law school s asylum and human trafficking clinic, which benefits so many in the community.

8 FEATURE Human Rights First Expands to Houston... A LAWYER CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RETURN TO PERSECUTION AND A CHANCE TO START A NEW LIFE IN SAFETY AND FREEDOM. Elisa Massimino, President and CEO South Texas understands the need for asylum seekers in Houston to have access to quality legal representation. The law school s asylum and human trafficking clinic, which is part of the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, specializes in representing victims of human trafficking. The cases handled by the clinic include children fleeing civil war, genocide or political repression, as well as people who have been victims of forced labor and forced trafficking. For more than three decades, Human Rights First has been providing high-quality legal representation through pro bono programs in the New York City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., areas. Every year, the group helps more than 700 refugees with free legal help donated by private law firms. Last year, this program leveraged nearly $30 million in services to aid indigent refugees in need of protection. The organization wins more than 90 percent of its cases. The decision to launch a presence in Houston marks its first expansion in more than two decades, and its first ever beyond the East Coast. Houston is a diverse and dynamic city where there is an increasing need for our services, said Human Rights First President and CEO Elisa Massimino. Hundreds of asylum seekers in Houston go unrepresented in a system where having a lawyer can mean the difference between return to persecution and the chance to start a new life in safety and freedom. The organization s Houston team will help bridge the gap between a pressing need and the services currently available, giving the city s pro bono legal community the tools they need to help. We are deeply grateful for South Texas College of Law s warm welcome to Houston, and we are thrilled to be housed in its beautiful facility, Massimino said. Dean Guter and his colleagues at the law school understand the need for asylum seekers in Houston to have access to quality legal representation; their generosity has been instrumental in enabling us to come to Houston and work with local attorneys to address that need. Human Rights First also has received a generous welcome from other Houston community leaders and looks forward to working with the city's strong philanthropic community to meet the needs of those seeking U.S. protection. It is actively recruiting private attorneys and law firms interested in serving as pro bono counsel in asylum cases. Refugees have helped make Houston one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the nation. It is fitting that Houston is making a core American ideal providing refuge to the persecuted a reality in the lives of people seeking freedom. South Texas and Human Rights First look forward to furthering this mission. Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in the struggle for human rights, so we press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law. When they don't, we step in to demand reform, accountability, and the redress of injustice. Around the world, we work where we can best harness American influence to secure core freedoms.

9 InRe 07 What's BEING SAID about HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST Human Rights First holds governments accountable for universal rights and freedoms including our own government. Tara Sonenshine Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Thank you for telling the world about our situation. Please don t let people in America forget about us. 20-year-old Syrian mother who fled to Amman, Jordan Thank you (Human Rights First) for being so important and so relevant to our country and to the world. You bring us back to core values. Chuck Hagel Secretary of Defense Human rights must come first or they won t come at all. Garry Kasparov Chairman of Russia s United Civil Front at 2012 Human Rights Summit Elisa Massimino and Human Rights First have been great partners with the subcommittee working on our human rights agenda. Dick Durbin United States Senator Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights HHHH Highest-ranked human rights organization. Charity Watcher Human Rights First has been a clarion voice in defense of human dignity and the rights and freedom of people everywhere. Susan E. Rice National Security Advisor Former United States Ambassador to the United States I ve been pleased to work with Human Rights First to make sure the United States remains a safe haven for the persecuted. Dr. Richard Land President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention I never thought I d live to see the day when a group of generals was working closely with a human rights group. Joe Biden Vice President of the United States Some just talk. Human Rights First talks and acts. Jeffrey Heller Human Rights First Volunteer and Activist Human Rights First develops strong cases and clients; when I have a pro bono case from them, I know I have a chance to make an impact. Steven H. Schulman Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP I will never forget the role that Human Rights First, and Elisa in particular, played in the fight to end the cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees during the previous administration. John McCain United States Senator at the 2012 Human Rights Summit Quotes from Human Rights First Annual Report 2013 and 2014

10 Leadership for the Future Written by Laura Tolley Photography by Terry Vine, Illustration by Maksim Koloskov When Donald J. Guter moved to Houston to be president and dean of South Texas College of Law, his mission was to build on the law school s success in providing an excellent legal education, embracing diversity and serving the community. His mission will continue for many years now that he has signed a five-year contract extension with South Texas. And it is a bright future for the law school, Guter said. This is an exciting time for the law school, and I am honored to have the tremendous opportunity to remain at South Texas and continue its commitment to excellence and service. I am grateful to the board for having confidence in my administration, Guter said. Our mission here is to serve the students, the legal profession and the greater Houston community, especially those who need trusted legal representation but cannot afford it, Guter said. We accomplish these goals with an expert faculty and staff, our most important assets. Together, they work hard to provide our students with the skills they need to embark on meaningful careers in the business of the law.

11 President and Dean Donald J. Guter, One Park Place, Downtown Houston, Texas.

12 FEATURE Leadership for the Future BUILDING ON SUCCESS South Texas has enjoyed many achievements, including being named by The National Jurist magazine as a best value private law school, being listed in the Princeton Review s 2014 Best Law Schools, and being designated a community of respect, by the Anti-Defamation League in 2012 and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. taught the past two summers in Consortium for Innovative Legal Education (CILE) programs led by South Texas and is slated to teach again in CILE summer programs, along with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. South Texas was named first nationally in moot court competition last year by the Blakely Advocacy Institute, and the law school s Advocacy Program has won 116 national championships, by far the most of any law school in the U.S. The law school also has won more awards in the prestigious ABA Scribes Brief Writing competition than any other law school in the nation and its well-regarded Dispute Resolution Program has won six titles in the last three years of national and international competition. Last year, South Texas graduates were fourth in the state behind Baylor University, the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University in terms of bar passage rates. we have so much to be proud of here at south texas Dean Donald J. Guter We have so much to be proud of here at South Texas, Guter said. We also have a lot to look forward to as we move forward with an exciting agenda for the law school. The school will continue to build on its educational successes as well as expand the scope of career services it offers students. Guter also is building on the law school s legacy of service to the community through the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, student organiza- tions and other avenues, including an important new partnership with Human Rights First, which has opened an office at the law school. South Texas also plans to expand its Civil Practice Clinics on several fronts with the addition of two public interest attorneys last fall. Additionally, Human Rights First also will partner with South Texas asylum and human trafficking clinic as well as practicing attorneys on its pro bono programs to help some of the community s most vulnerable residents. South Texas alumni play an integral role in the law school s continued success, Guter noted. Founded in 1923, South Texas is Houston s largest and oldest law school and has some 13,000 living alumni. We enjoy the support of a strong alumni community and are deeply grateful to those who already share their time, experience, talent and energy in making South Texas a better place, Guter said. Knowing that there is power in numbers, we will seek to expand the core of the alumni who are engaged in these activities at the law school. They play a key role in South Texas ability to realize its strategic goals. The law school is fortunate to be strategically located in downtown Houston, the heart of one of the largest legal and international business communities in the country and home to many accomplished South Texas graduates. South Texas is an important entity in downtown Houston and it is getting ready for an important makeover designed to boost the law school s physical presence in the area. Plans are being developed for a renovation of the South Texas building itself, specifically the front exterior facing San Jacinto and the corner at Clay that used to be the entrance for the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals. This renovation will greatly enhance the law school s physical presence on San Jacinto and in downtown Houston, Guter said. The plan for the corner at San Jacinto and Clay includes permanent signage along San Jacinto. The front of the building will be renovated to enclose more of the open entrance and erect permanent banners branding the law school. The renovation also will involve security enhancements such as the installation of security kiosks that will be placed inside at the entrance. Students, faculty, staff and visitors will all need security cards to pass through the kiosks.

13 InRe 11 The tradition of the Liberty Bell on the first floor will be preserved, but it will be moved to the Atrium, where there will be more space for the bell-ringing celebrations enjoyed by students and their families. The eagle will be moved inside to a space of prominence near the stairwell. The renovations are being paid for by a grant from the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation. This renovation will create a needed presence for the law school on San Jacinto, Guter said. It is part of our efforts to build on South Texas College of Law s rock-solid business, organization and academic foundations. Guter joined South Texas in 2009 after a nationwide search, leaving the faculty of Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, where he also served as dean from 2005 through Guter served in the U.S. Navy for 32 years, retiring in 2002 as a rear admiral, Judge Advocate General s Corps ( JAG). He rose through the ranks of the JAG Corps serving as trial counsel, legislative counsel and special counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations, and ultimately became the 37th Judge Advocate General of the Navy from 2000 to He has since served as the CEO for the Vinson Hall Corporation and the executive director of the Navy Marine Coast Guard Residence Foundation. He is immediate past president of the Judge Advocates Association Foundation and the American Bar Association s standing committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel. He currently chairs the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education. Frequently appearing in the media to discuss matters of national security and military law, he s made appearances on network and international newscasts, print media nationwide, and radio programs. Guter wasn t looking for a deanship when he was approached about the South Texas job years ago. But in learning about South Texas, its history, its place in legal education, and its outstanding alumni, faculty, staff, and students, the attraction was irresistible, Guter said. Now, Guter said, he is honored to remain at South Texas and lead it into the future. We have an incredible, stimulating environment at South Texas. I love coming to work every day. Above: Plans are in development for renovation of the entrance and first floor of the college from the front entrance to the corner of Clay Street, formerly the entrance to the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals. The front of the building will enclose more of the open entrance, and new signage will give the school a more prominent street presence. The renovations are being paid for by a grant from the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation.

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15 Preparing for the Next Big Job Written by Laura Tolley Photography by Terry Vine When Andrew Drew del Junco started at South Texas College of Law in fall 2012, he was more focused on getting through his first finals than landing a job after graduation. But a few weeks into his first semester, staffers from the Career Resource Center (CRC) visited his Legal Research and Writing class to talk about life after law school. He listened and learned. Del Junco said he immediately started taking advantage of the many services and programs offered by the department. He received one-on-one help revising his resume, attended workshops and other programs organized by the CRC and met frequently with staff members. His efforts and theirs have paid off so far. Del Junco had two judicial clerkships last summer and worked for a federal judge in Galveston earlier this year. He received three clerkship offers for this summer through the On Campus Interview (OCI) program organized by the CRC and accepted two with Houston law firms. He hopes one will lead to a full-time job after he graduates. Del Junco has put a lot of effort into his job search, but he also credits the CRC for assisting him in so many ways. It has been a fantastic resource for me. I owe a lot to the Career Resource Center, del Junco said. Law school is a whole new world and it can be kind of scary. But these people know what to do and how to help you. These opportunities are there for all students if they seek them out. Julie Sams, program coordinator; Ginna Pastrano, director; and Nazleen Faizullah, project coordinator.

16 FEATURE Planning for the Next Big Step Above (left to right): Shavonne Henderson, recruitment coordinator and Julie Sams Opposite (left to right): Olivia Kielkowski, Career Resource coordinator, and Nazleen Faizulla, project coordinator. In the ever-challenging world of getting a J-O-B in the real world, South Texas staff members know how important it is for students to start early on thinking about and preparing for their post-law school careers. We understand that getting a great legal education is the top priority for our students, and we know that law school is tough, South Texas Associate Dean Bruce McGovern said. But we also know that our students want to get good jobs once they graduate, and we want them to be as prepared as possible to succeed in their legal careers. We can help them achieve their future goals while they are in law school. The people in our Career Resource Center work hard to stress to all of our students that they need to spend some time, from the beginning, on considering what they want to do when they graduate, said McGovern, who oversees academic administration and is also a professor. From the start, we encourage our students to think and act like professionals. CRC staff members have long been available at orientation, but the office recently started a new early-outreach program. For the past two years, staff members attend each Legal Research and Writing class to talk to first-semester students about counseling and other resources available to them at South Texas. The writing class is required of all new students, making it an ideal opportunity to talk to them in a smaller setting. We realized some time ago that we cannot wait for students to find the Career Resource Center, we needed to find them and tell them, We are here, these are our services, this is how we can help you, McGovern said. It sounds simple, going into these classes, but it really is a very important step in a student s life in law school. Del Junco s class was the first to experience these visits. They were very, very helpful and enlightening. It was a significant moment for me. That s when they told us that if we wanted an internship next summer, we had to start looking for one as soon as possible, said del Junco, who was in the school s Advocacy Program but resigned when he was elected editor of the Law Review. That s when the alarm bells sounded for me. I did want an internship.

17 Del Junco said he and his circle of law school friends are focused on not just surviving law school but actually thriving in it. You don t have to walk around school like you are lost for three years, he said. This law school has all of the opportunities available to be successful; you just have to take advantage of them. Ginna Pastrano, the CRC s director, said the new outreach effort seems to be a success. More students are contacting the Career Resource Center earlier on, and we believe it can be attributed to this program, Pastrano said. Getting students to access our resources early can be a challenge for us. In the past, sometimes we wouldn t see some students until their last semester. Our goal here is to get students in the door early on and keep them. We want to make sure they know that we are a resource for them from the outset. The CRC provides many avenues to help students prepare for and find internships and jobs. (An internship can be a very important step in securing a full-time job.) There are workshops, job fairs, individual counseling, events and other programs, all designed to help students prepare a job search plan. We want them to get real experience while they are here in law school. We want them to use this office s resources to help them, Pastrano said. It s a challenging job search period, but now it is even more so in the field of law. The CRC also has been working more with Development and Alumni Relations in its efforts. The two divisions recently started an initiative in which the law school holds informal networking gatherings for students and alumni. South Texas also has stepped up efforts in the area of assisting employers who are looking for job candidates, playing a sort of headhunter role, McGovern noted. South Texas alumni also lend their expertise to students by conducting mock interviews in preparation for the OCI program. Pastrano said South Texas employment numbers for students nine months after they graduate have remained fairly steady and strong the past few years a good sign given the down economy and the toll it has taken on new graduates job search. Those figures range in the 80-to-low-90 percent range. The strength of these employment figures especially the percentage of South Texas graduates who secure full-time, long-term employment for which bar passage is required has received some national attention. We weren t hit as hard as a lot of law schools with our employment numbers, Pastrano said. South Texas students are very well prepared to work. SOUTH TEXAS STUDENTS ARE VERY WELL PREPARED TO WORK. Ginna Pastrano, Director The CRC is continuing to coordinate more with faculty members, student organizations, the alumni office and other areas across campus, she said. Last fall semester, the office organized a roundtable gathering based on a specific practice area and also held one this spring. It s a time for students to network and learn more about a practice area. For the alumni, it s a way to give back by talking about their work, speaking with students and discussing specific issues or addressing questions students may have. Our alumni feel like they are giving back to the law school, and our students really value the opportunity to meet with former South Texas students who are succeeding in their law practices, Pastrano said. Del Junco said the assistance he has received from The CRC and the law school in general is preparing him to succeed after graduation. People out there talk about how South Texas is the practice-ready school and that is huge to me, del Junco said. This school has taught me very high standards of professionalism. They instill that in you from the beginning to behave and act like a lawyer. I believe I can hit the ground running. InRe 17

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19 FACULTY PROFILE InRe 19 Professor James L. Musselman Written by Laura Tolley Photography by Sandy Wilson Professor Musselman s areas of expertise: federal income tax and commercial law. Professor James L. Musselman can tell when the teaching process takes hold on his students. In my class, we work through problem after problem after problem. It forces the students to really think, Musselman says. It works, you can tell. You can see the learning process going on in the classroom. You can see when that lightbulb turns on. For Musselman, watching that light flip on and being a key part of that discovery process is truly rewarding, even after many years of teaching. It never gets old, he says. And I m still learning new things as well. But he did not start out to be a professor or even a lawyer. He had a much different career plan for his life. Musselman first wanted to be an accountant. He received a bachelor s of science degree from Illinois State University in 1979 and went off to work as a certified public accountant for a while. However, Musselman soon found out that studying accounting was a lot different from working as an accountant, a realization that sparked a change of heart about his ambitions. As he pondered his future, Musselman s brother went to Brigham Young University, where he was a member of the law school s first class. His brother s positive experience prompted Musselman to follow in his footsteps, and he attended law school at BYU, graduating in Musselman practiced law in Denver for about five years, but a crashing Colorado economy prompted him to search elsewhere for work and he ended up in Phoenix, where he worked for several years. Teaching had been in the back of Musselman s mind, but he really started thinking about the idea while he was living in Phoenix, working at a law firm and raising a family. I had really enjoyed law school and I knew I was going to stay in the field of law, so teaching seemed liked a good idea, he says. Musselman sent out resumes, did interviews and wound up accepting a teaching job at South Texas and started in He had been to Texas only a couple of times before he took the job. The teaching job was downtown, but Musselman and his family settled in The Woodlands, where he still lives. He teaches in the areas of federal income tax, bankruptcy, commercial law and marital property law. Musselman taught for several years before becoming associate dean of admissions, financial aid and student services in 1990 for five years, and then associate dean of faculty for three years. While he enjoyed both of those administrative roles, he longed to return to teaching and writing full-time, which he did in Musselman also enjoys writing and he has a list of published articles on different subjects, from marital property issues to deducting higher education expenses. His teaching style has evolved over the years as he has tried different ideas and approaches. He teaches heavy tax code and covers a lot of materials and problems. He requires his students to read and work through a lot of code in the classroom. Musselman enjoys teaching evening/night classes, which tend to include many older students. The classroom environment at night is very different. They tend to be much more focused, he says. Last fall, Musselman took on a whole new experience in his long teaching career one of his children, daughter Ashleigh, started law school at South Texas. It is a first. She s buried in work, Musselman says, knowingly.

20 Ken 86 and Melissa Johnson Alumni Impact Award recipient Dan Cogdell 82 with his wife, Robin Cogdell Dean Donald J. Guter and Alumni Impact Award recipient Mark Murray 90 Jim McClellan, Dean s Medal recipient on behalf of the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation, and Kim Parker Parks Legacy Lives on at Gala Written by Stuart Stern Photography by Marc Nathan Robin and Rocket 80 Rosen It was a night to celebrate the 90th anniversary of South Texas, as well as the legacy of the renowned trial attorney and alumnus who was such an important part of the college s history: Fred Parks 37. A crowd of over 300 did that and much more at the third annual South Texas College of Law Awards Gala, held on April 26 at the elegant Hotel Zaza. South Texas Board Chairman Ken Johnson 86 set the tone of the evening with a quote from John F. Kennedy: One person can make a difference, and everyone should try. Receiving the college s highest award the Dean s Medal at the event was the philanthropic organization established in 1984 by Mr. Parks and his wife, Mabel: the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation. The Parks Foundation promotes excellence in education, health, and human services by supporting the work of a variety of nonprofit organizations, including South Texas. Past grants to the college have provided funds for our law library, named in honor of Mr. Parks; student scholarships; and numerous co-curricular programs at South Texas. Alumni Impact Award recipient Justice Eva Guzman 89