Dates

• Existence: 1837-06-11 - 1897-03-09

Biography

Father John Pinasco, S.J. served as the eighth and tenth president to Santa Clara College in 1880-1883 & 1888-1893. Previously, Pinasco served as president of St. Ignatius College in San Francisco. The first three years of Pinasco’s presidency was burdened with a drop in enrollment which hampered attempts by the president to balance the struggling account books. Later on the enrollment improved, but Santa Clara was still in tough times. The Alumni Association was created under the guidance of President Pinasco, borrowing the idea from St. Ignatius College which had recently created its own. The Alumni Association during Pinasco’s day was not like it is today; it did not serve as any means of fundraising for the school, but rather to provide more opportunity for social gatherings among alumni. Often alumni would serve as speakers at commencement at this time, therefore the first meetings would be set around the annual commencement to gather speakers and alumni. Pinasco’s successor would utilize the Alumni Association to raise building funds, which would prove to be an immensely valuable resource. Pinasco does what he does for the school so he can thrive a an exemplary president at a time when he was needed most by his school.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: