Friends, Alumni Gather for West Coast Dinner, 2018

The Thomas Aquinas College Alumni Association held its largest-ever West Coast Dinner earlier this month, as more than 220 alumni returned to the Santa Paula, California, campus. Escaping a heat wave, the group gathered for a reception and dinner in the newly completed St. Cecilia Lecture and Concert Hall.

The guest of honor for the evening was R. Scott Turicchi, chairman of the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors and president and CFO of j2 Global, Inc. “Scott is a model of what it means to be an authentic witness in the business world,” said Alumni Association President Pete LaFave (’13), who introduced Mr. Turicchi to his fellow alumni and presented to him, on their behalf, a gift: copies of St. Thomas’ Commentary on the Gospel of John and The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, plus two bottles of fine wine. “We thank you for your leadership, for your guidance, for your generosity to the college that we love, the college that formed us and will no doubt form generations of leaders, priests, nuns, parents, and lay witnesses to the Faith for years to come.”

Addressing the alumni, Mr. Turicchi then presented a brief talk, The Relevance of Thomas Aquinas College Today, which discussed the College, its origins, its mission, and its future. “TAC stands as a beacon that rightly understands that academic freedom is not an end in itself, but a means to fulfill education’s goal, which is to find knowledge of the Truth,” he said. “If we remain true to the gift that Thomas Aquinas College has given us, and therefore remain relevant in the world, then TAC remains relevant as an institution.”

Following Mr. Turicchi, Thomas Aquinas College President Michael F. McLean spoke about news and developments at the College, specially thanking the Fritz B. Burns Foundation, which granted the College the funds for that night’s venue, St. Cecilia Hall. Dr. McLean also thanked Mr. Turicchi for “spectacular leadership of our Board of Governors,” as well as Mr. and Mrs. Turicchi’s “outstanding generosity” to the College.

Noting the beauty of St. Cecilia Hall, as well as plans for a new gymnasium and the ongoing effort to establish a branch campus in Massachusetts, Dr. McLean added, “It’s wonderful to have the facilities and buildings and to acquire land to hopefully expand into New England, but really none of that matters if we are not, as Scott said, faithful to our mission and pursuing the education that the founders envisioned.” On that front, he continued, “I can tell you the College remains completely committed to the mission of Catholic liberal education as outlined in the Blue Book — the education which all of you received, which is serving you well in your personal lives, and which is serving, I think, the Church and the country magnificently.”

The president then answered questions from alumni, who visited and celebrated well into the evening. The Alumni Association additionally used the occasion to honor two classes, the Class of 2008, which was marking its 10th reunion, and the Class of 1988, which was marking its 30th.