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James “Jim” DeLacy and Ruth Shaps Scholarship by James Brown

Jim DeLacy coached both swimming and water polo for Pioneer Athletics, before embarking on a career with the Oakland Fire Department. Both Jim and Ruth are active Masters swimmers and still compete, and they have both set world records in swimming for their age groups.

The DeLacy-Shaps endowment will award an annual scholarship to student-athletes in the Pioneer women's swimming program who have strong potential, but need financial assistance. Jim and Ruth created their endowment in order to provide a “helping hand” to Pioneer swimmers because, looking back, many of their life achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the support they received as students and young adults.

Head Swimming Coach Shane Pelton acknowledged the significance of this scholarship. 

"Jim’s and Ruth’s generous gift ensures permanent scholarship support for swimmers with talent and commitment, and it will help ease the financial burden of paying for college for selected students,” he said. “Jim and Ruth both have a lifelong commitment to swimming and we are honored to have their support."

Kira Sullivan Hernandez Memorial Scholarship

Kira’s gift was her musical talent. From the time she could talk, she was singing. Her formal music education included two years at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Preparatory Division, during high school. She went on to the University of Toledo and then, after one year, transferred to Cal State East Bay. She received her bachelor’s degree, majoring in vocal studies. She performed in many opera and musical theater productions throughout the Bay Area.

After graduation, Kira became a piano and voice teacher. She operated a successful business, Sullivan Studio, with her husband Jorge, another Pioneer. A rare form of kidney cancer cut her life short four days before her 30th birthday. Her parents, Tim and Calli Sullivan, raised money for the Kira Sullivan Hernandez Memorial Scholarship through crowdfunding and their personal donations. The scholarship is awarded to a voice major at Cal State East Bay in good academic standing who is eligible for financial aid.

Orinda Women’s Club Renaissance Scholars Scholarship

The Orinda Women’s Club is a nonprofit, community-based organization that focuses on addressing urgent and ongoing needs of families in both Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The club has a long history of community involvement and enrichment. Club members organize fundraisers, exciting community-building events, and fun, social get-togethers.

One of the club’s major projects is its annual Festival of the Trees, which primarily benefits one or two organizations annually. Last fall, the club selected the Renaissance Scholars Program, which supports former foster youth at Cal State East Bay and helps keep them on track to graduate.

Elene Lee, M.S. ’76 and Chair of the Community Service Committee of the club, explains, “I decided to come to campus for a tour; I hadn’t been at Cal State East Bay for years until then, and I was so impressed. As alumni, I feel we can all help by connecting great programs on campus to the philanthropic resources we have access to in our own circles.”

Caroline Calloway, former president of the Orinda Women’s Club, says, “Many of our members have children and even grandchildren; we thought of what we had done to support them through college and as young adults. Thinking about students who don’t have that support struck such a cord with us. For me, it hit my heart when I heard about a student who could not afford to see a dentist.”

“Cal State East Bay is close to home,” she said “We know the campus. This was about helping people in our home community. We knew that our dollars would make a real impact on students through the Renaissance Scholars program.”

The Orinda Women’s Club is a nonprofit, community-based organization that focuses on addressing urgent and ongoing needs of families in both Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. The club has a long history of community involvement and enrichment. Club members organize fundraisers, exciting community-building events, and fun, social get-togethers.

One of the Club’s major projects is its annual Festival of the Trees, which primarily benefits one or two organizations annually. Last fall, the Club selected the Renaissance Scholars program, which supports former foster youth at Cal State East Bay and helps keep them on track to graduate.

Elene Lee, MS ’76 and Chair of the Community Service Committee of the club, explains, “I decided to come to campus for a tour; I hadn’t been at Cal State East Bay for years until then, and I was so impressed. As alumni, I feel we can all help by connecting great programs on campus to the philanthropic resources we have access to in our own circles.”

Caroline Callaway, former President of the Orinda Women’s Club, says, “Many of our members have children and even grandchildren; we thought of what we had done to support them through college and as young adults. Thinking about students who don’t have that support struck such a cord with us. For me, it hit my heart when I heard about a student who could not afford to see a dentist.”

“Cal State East Bay is close to home. We know the campus. This was about helping people in our home community. We knew that our dollars would make a real impact on students through the Renaissance Scholars program.”

Pay It Forward Scholarship

The Pay It Forward Scholarship was established by Stephen and Karen Beck. Karen graduated from Cal State East Bay in 1980 with a BA in English.  She continued to study at CSUEB and received a teaching credential in 1981. Stephen Beck graduated from San Jose State University in 1969 with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. 

“We were both the first in our families to graduate from college and our public education served us well,” explained Stephen. “This influenced us to help others—who may not be able to afford this same opportunity—to do so.”

The donors wish to help give students of low financial means the same opportunity that they had to attend and graduate from college, and thereby achieve their full potential and improve their financial status. Karen Beck said, “We know college is more expensive than we attended and we wanted to provide a scholarship that would cover more than half of a student’s tuition. We hope that these scholarships help to give the recipients the chance to achieve their full potential in a career and in life in general. And ultimately, we hope that the recipients will also be able to use their success to pay it forward and help others.”

Carol Sughrue Scholarship for International Peace and Understanding

Cal State East Bay alumna Carol Sughrue ’69 is a retired journalist, activist, and humanitarian. Sughrue said it was her then-Cal State Hayward professor John Gothberg who convinced her not to drop out of college. The professor also helped set her up with her first job as a reporter at the Argus in Fremont, which she says changed the trajectory of her life and demonstrated how vital student-faculty relationships can be.

After reconnecting with the university years later, Carol was happy to hear it was still the life-changing place she remembered. She said it’s the students she heard about that ultimately led her to establish a planned bequest for the Carol Sughrue Scholarship for International Peace and Understanding, inspired by their drive and commitment to serving their communities, a value that hit home for her.

“Students today face challenges I didn’t have to overcome in my quest for an education,” Sughrue said. “For one, costs are much higher now, and students often leave college mired in debt. It takes a very determined person to embark on a college degree these days, especially with little or no financial support from one’s family. And that’s exactly why scholarships are so important. The opportunity is there—California is a wonderful state where education is valued and available—but it takes money to achieve the goal of a college education.”

Sughrue explained, “Education is so important today. While a college degree doesn’t necessarily make one smarter, it does help develop critical thinking, something that will be so necessary to the future of our communities, county, and world as we face increased threats to daily life from disease, the quest for essential food, housing and medical care, income disparity, environmental threats, racial bias, global warming, etc. And it’s imperative that we find solutions that don’t involve war and more destruction of our fragile planet.”

“While I can’t control the future,” Sughrue continued, “I can assist a few of those who will face these challenges by helping sponsor their education with a scholarship.”

By turning her required IRA distribution into a gift to the university, Sughrue was able to support four scholarships. This year, she was able to increase her distribution so that her scholarship could expand to support five scholarships for five different students.

“My hope is these scholarships will be used by students to achieve their dreams of a college education,” Sughrue said. “It’s apparent they have the desire and are willing to put in the effort. It’s a privilege to provide a little seed money.”