King Hall Faithful Return for 2015 Reunions
More than 250 UC Davis School of Law alumni from nine classes returned to King Hall on October 24 for the 2015 Milestone Reunions. Members of the classes of 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 came back to UC Davis to tour the expanded and renovated King Hall, reconnect with classmates and former teachers, and hear presentations from Dean Kevin R. Johnson and Alberto Roldan '92, Chief Administrative Law Judge and Executive Director for the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and President of the King Hall Alumni Association.
The event began with an afternoon reception, as alumni and faculty gathered in the King Hall Courtyard to mingle and reminisce, tour the law school building, and take group photos. In the evening, festivities continued with a dinner at the UC Davis Buehler Alumni Center and a program that included a slide show presentation of images of students and faculty from years past, a showing of the satirical "Davis State of Mind" video produced by students in 2011, and remarks from Dean Johnson and Alberto Roldan.
Dean Johnson welcomed the alumni and thanked the faculty in attendance, including Professors Jack Ayer, Alan Brownstein, Joel Dobris, Floyd Feeney, Robert Hillman, Edward Imwinkelried, Carlton Larson, Lisa Pruitt, Ed Rabin, Cruz Reynoso, Martha West, and Bruce Wolk. He briefly recapped events from the law school's history and talked about recent successes in bringing in outstanding faculty from schools including Harvard and UC Hastings, recruiting excellent and diverse students, completing the King Hall Expansion and Renovation project, and launching new academic initiatives such as the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies.
Dean Johnson also mentioned some of the challenges faced by the School of Law, including the need for increased private support in light of diminished state funding, which now accounts for less than 10 percent of the Law School budget. Private support for student scholarships is especially important in order to ensure that King Hall remains accessible to students of all backgrounds, he said.
"As it is now, we take roughly 40 percent of the fees we collect and direct them to financial aid for students," Dean Johnson said. "I think that's one of the reasons we have been able to recruit a high quality student body while also being able to maintain the diverse King Hall community that you experienced."
Alberto Roldan said he hoped that those in attendance would "use this opportunity, this decision you made to visit the School of Law, as a stepping stone to reconnect with King Hall," encouraging alumni to take advantage of professional development opportunities, attend lectures, volunteer with the moot court and mock trial programs, and help mentor current students at the School of Law.
"We know there's a need for financial support, but that's not the only way you can make a contribution to the school," said Roldan. "Your presence, your professionalism, your commitment to communicating with students who are going through the program we went through many years ago are just as important as any financial commitment you make to the school in supporting it."
Dean Johnson said that special thanks were due to the Reunion Planning Committee members who helped plan the event, encouraged classmates to attend, and organized class gifts to the King Hall 50th Anniversary Fund, the King Hall Scholarship Fund, and other priorities. Members of this year's Reunion Planning Committee include Albert Balingit, Yoshinori Toso Himel, Elisabeth Semel, Michael Van Horne, and Fernando Zazueta of the Class of 1975; Linda Blackwell, Robert Burnside, Bruce Klafter, William Kopper, Doug Mirell, and Steven Sacks of the Class of 1980; Mark Askanas, David Cranston, Cathy Leacox-Farman, and Linda McAtee of the Class of 1985; Anna Catarina (Silva), Steven Knott, and Irene Tresser of the Class of 1990; Antoinette Hewitt, Steven Muldowney, and Diane Newman of the Class of 1995; and John Pavolotsky '00.