Thursday, June 13, 2013

800 expected for Red Carpet Centennial Gala June 22

A year of Centennial celebrations and special events across the country will culminate June 22 with the Red Carpet Gala, and a sold-out crowd of 800 is expected.

The public is invited to join with students, families and alumni in a grand event that will mark the university’s first 100 years and propel it into a second century of transformational higher education.

Attendees of the Red Carpet Gala on June 22 will be treated like stars. The evening is designed to feel like the Oscars, with all the elegance and glamour of Hollywood transported to the Winona campus.

Guests will walk the red carpet from valet parking through “paparazzi” and into the transformed fieldhouse, where the 17-piece John Paulson Big Band will be performing. There guests will be treated to specialty drinks, butlered hors d’oeuvres and a gourmet dinner served under glittering chandeliers.

A special program will be emceed by Bill Lunn ’87, news anchor of KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities.

The university’s Heritage Award will be given to Mike ’62 and Joette Gostomski of Winona, whose generous lifetime philanthropy has significantly transformed Saint Mary’s University.

Two special recognitions will honor the profound influence of the Christian Brothers on Saint Mary’s. Brother Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, the order’s Superior General, will accept a Centennial Award on behalf of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and Brother Larry Schatz, Visitor, will accept a Centennial Award on behalf of the Midwest District of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.


A fireworks extravaganza will dazzle the campus and incorporate a portion of the “Centennial Suite” of commissioned music pieces. Music and dancing caps the evening, with entertainment provided by Nicholas David (finalist on NBC’s The Voice) and his band.

For more information or for Red Carpet Gala tickets, go to mysmumn.org/gala or call Ext. 6609.

All-School Reunion schedule for June 21-23


Faculty and staff are encouraged and invited to attend all of these events at the first All-School Reunion.

To view a complete schedule of events, go to www.mysmumn.org/allschoolreunion. To register, contact the Alumni Office at Ext. 1499.

Friday, June 21

10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Golf Outing, Bridges Golf Club ($80 per person with shotgun start and scramble format)

4 to 5 p.m. — Alumni Art Invitational Exhibition Reception featuring work by nine alumni, Lillian Davis Hogan Gallery, Toner Student Center.

8:30 to 11 p.m. — Piano bar in the Toner Student Center lounge.

Saturday, June 22

7:45 to 8:30 a.m. — Registration and race start for Gilmore Gallop 5K Fun Run/Walk, near Max Molock Field; free T-shirt for pre-registrants.

10 to 11 a.m. — Current and Former Christian Brother’s Gathering, McEnery Center lounge

10 to noon — Athletics open house

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Family Picnic at Saint Mary’s Park. $12 for adults, $7 for children

1:30 to 2:30 p.m. — Celebration of Student and Faculty Scholarship Showcase, Saint Mary’s Hall.

2 to 4 p.m. — Celebration of Service for Tony Piscitiello’s 45 years of service to the Admission Office

4:30 p.m. — Centennial Mass at Saint Thomas More Chapel

6 p.m. — Red Carpet Centennial Gala, Gostomski Fieldhouse (tickets available online). At 10 p.m. the Centennial Fireworks Extravaganza begins in the SMU plaza followed by live band (with Nicholas David) in the fieldhouse.

Sunday, June 24
9:30 a.m. — Mass at Saint Thomas More Chapel

Public invited to play in Tom Farren Memorial Golf Classic


The public is invited to play in the fifth annual Tom Farren Memorial Golf Classic Sunday, July 21. The four-person scramble will have a 9 a.m. shotgun start at Cedar Valley Golf Course. The $80 entry fee includes a Sunday brunch from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., a Saint Mary’s pullover jacket and 18 holes of golf with a cart.  The deadline to register is Monday, July 8.

This outing honors former SMU golf coach Tom Farren and is a fundraiser for the men’s and women’s golf teams.

Raffle prizes are available. Team prizes will include: first place — four FootJoy shirts; fifth place — four Greg Norman shirts; 10th place — four Cutter & Buck shirts; second-to-last place — Twins pint glass and sleeve of balls; and last place — Twins pint glass and sleeve of balls. Games will include closest to pin (holes 4, 8, 11 and 15), long drive (holes 1 and 10), longest putt (holes 9 and 13) and closest to pin in two shots (a team prize on hole 18). Game prizes will include golf caps, with a team prize of four 18-hole rounds of golf.

Sponsors include Minnesota City Custom and RTP Co.

Send a check and shirt sizes for foursomes to Cedar Valley Golf Course, P.O. Box 1148, Winona, MN 55987. For more information, contact Ryan Egan, SMU men’s and women’s golf coach at regan@smumn.edu or (507) 457-6918.

‘Campus Notes’ resumes during summer

The newsletter will come out twice a month throughout the summer to update the SMU community on all the news and events that occur on campus June through August. The next edition will be June 28.

HCO presents ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Page Theatre

Home and Community Options will present “Fiddler on the Roof” at Saint Mary’s Page Theatre. Performances are 7 p.m. June 14-15 and 17-18, and 5 p.m. Sunday, June 16. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors older than 62 and $8 for students. Call the box office at Ext. 1715 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or order online at www.hco.org/Musical/FiddlerontheRoof.php.

Watch for SMU float in Steamboat Days parade

Once again, the Marketing and Communication Office is entering a float for this year’s Steamboat Days parade Sunday, June 23. The parade begins at 12:30 p.m., and SMU’s float is No. 12. Cheer for the float and get your own drawstring backpack!

Students to be featured in Big River Magazine

Big River Magazine, which is published in Winona, will run an article on students’ research on the Mississippi River in their June/July issue and two senior biology majors, Mark Ross and Clint Nienhaus, will be featured. For more info, go to www.bigrivermagazine.com.