Alumni inducted into Phoenix College Hall of Fame

11/06/2008

College of Law Alumni inducted into Phoenix College Hall of Fame 

Rebecca White Berch 
Rebecca White Berch 
      Four College of Law alumni are among 13 people named by the Phoenix College Alumni Association as their 2008 Hall of Fame History Makers.
      Arizona Supreme Court Vice-Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch (College of Law Class of 1979), Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon (Class of 1978), state Rep. Ben Miranda (Class of 1984), and Vera Stiesmeyer (Class of 1984), all will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a dinner on Thursday, Nov. 6. Among the other nine being honored is Peterson Zah, Special Advisor to the President on American Indian Affairs and a longtime supporter of the College of Law.
     These five will join nearly 100 individuals already honored by Phoenix College in the decade since the creation of the award. It recognizes individual alumni and employees who have achieved excellence in their careers and/or made significant contributions of service to the community or Phoenix College.
     Berch graduated from Phoenix College in 1974, has been an educator, author and attorney, and was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2002, only the third woman to sit on the state's highest court.
     Gordon graduated in 1970, and was an attorney, business owner, educator and member of the Phoenix City Council, before being elected Mayor in 1997. For the past 20 years, he has been a leader in the movement to preserve and redevelop central Phoenix.
     Miranda graduated in 1977, and was an attorney before being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2002. He received the Dean's Award from the College of Law, where he led a recruitment effort that increased minority law student enrollment. 
     Vera Stiesmeyer graduated in 1973, and served the association in various capacities, including the Scholarship Committee, writing the Phoenix College Alumni Association constitution and bylaws, mentoring and fundraising, and is Past President of the Theta Chi Delta Alumnae Sorority.
     Peterson Zah, who graduated in 1960 and is the former president of the Navajo Nation, is considered one of the 100 most important Native Americans in the last century and a key leader in Native American government and education.
     Other honorees are: 
      Calvin Goode, who graduated in 1947, and was a Phoenix City Councilman for more than two decades. 
     Sam Jaimes, who graduated in 1951 and led an award-winning career in animation that spanned 50 years, including working Walt Disney Studios, Hanna-Barbera, and Charles Schulz.
     Jerry Eaton, who graduated in 1960, and is a writer, journalist, editor and educator, authoring numerous books about Arizona and receiving many awards for his writing and photography.
     Sheila Contreras, Class of 1981, who spent more than 30 years on staff at Phoenix College, beginning as a department secretary in the 1960s and working her way up to department manager until her retirement in the 1990s.
     Lisa Coleman, Class of 1986, a dedicated staff member at Phoenix College for more than 30 years, working as Lead in the Admission & Records Office.
     Ken Mattern, Class of 1998, Past President of the PCAA, and instrumental in supporting the college in scholarship fundraising, student recruitment, community outreach, mentoring, the Phoenix College ACE Program, and the Ron Wolfley Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit PC Football.
     John D. Calhoun who taught Physics at Phoenix College for 40 years.
     Dr. Virginia Ramos Foster, a faculty member for 40 years, 20 of them as chair of the Foreign Language Department.
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