Jan. 22, 2008
The Amaos Alonzo Stagg Award of Honor Luncheon will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2008 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm in Raymond Great Hall. The cost for the luncheon is $25 per person. Please contact Pam Nogare at 209.946.3945 by Wednesday, January 30, 2008 for reservations.
Honorees for this event are William Becker '40, June Sutterfield Downer '49 and Dr. Gerald Haines '49.
BILL BECKER
Bill Becker is being honored with the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for his achievements and dedication to the field of journalism. Born and reared in Chicago, Becker has traveled the country and written about some of the biggest stories in history. Bill played offensive and defensive guard for Stagg at Pacific from 1937 to 1939, and graduated from Pacific with a bachelors degree in English and a minor in speech in 1940. Bill got the opportunity to watch his first football game in 1927 when Oklahoma visited the University of Chicago, coached by Stagg and quarterbacked by his son Paul. Bill never played high school football because he was too small, but after working for two years during the depression he buffed up and then headed west to Pacific.
At that time football scholarships only covered tuition so Bill worked his way through college by editing Pacific Weekly as a junior and as business manager during his senior year. Bill had a tremendous journalism career that included three years with the Arizona Republic, 12 years with the Associated Press, 18 years with the New York Times, and 15+ years with Caltech-Jet Propulsion Laboratories as the science and space writer. As a newsman Becker covered presidential elections, politics, atomic testing and science stories. He also spent a year in Antarctica and another as a free lance writer in Europe.
Bill's sports coverage included 25 Rose Bowl games, two World Series, and the West Coast migration of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants in the National League. In 1957 Bill was invited by Pacific to speak at Stagg's 95th birthday party. At the time Bill was with the New York Times and convinced the officials of West Orange New Jersey to issue a special citation to recognize Stagg which Bill presented to him.
For 46 years he has resided in his Santa Monica Canyon Home with his wife Rachel. They recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary along side most of their five children 14 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. In 1982 Bill retired from Caltech-JPL, spending much of his free time in the nearby ocean swimming and surfing.
DR. JERRY HAINES
Dr. Jerry Haines has been selected for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for his distinguished career and commitment to education. Haines received his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1949 from College of the Pacific. During his time at Pacific Jerry played and lettered in four years of baseball and lettered twice in basketball. Haines was elected the student body treasurer in 1948, and was inducted as part of the 1948 baseball team into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame. He also received the hall of fame baseball team award. In 1949 Jerry was recognized with the Dr. James Corson Award as the outstanding senior man.
After receiving his degree Jerry spent three years playing professional baseball in the California League for the Bakersfield Indians and the Stockton Ports. Jerry received his secondary teaching credential in history also from Pacific in 1951. From 1953 to 1955 Haines served as a Lieutenant in the Army Medical Services Corp. There he was in charge of the physical training of the enlisted medical personnel and also played and coached baseball and basketball. Haines received his Masters degree in administration in 1969 from California State University Los Angeles, and his Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Southern California in 1971. Jerry taught high school English, history and physical education and coached high school baseball and basketball at numerous schools. From 1970 to 1979 he served as an assistant principal and athletic director at Pioneer High School in Whittier Calif.
Following his time as assistant principal Haines became the director of staff development in the Whittier Unified High School District. There he began a special program for high school teachers and administrators and provided training for other districts through workshops and conferences. Staff development then became the focus of Jerry's career as he went on to become an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration Department at CSU Los Angeles from 1986 to 1992. Jerry then served as a consultant in training activities for administrators for the Association of California School Administrators and in schools for the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
He has published a number of books and articles on educational administration. Jerry, now retired, lives with his wife of 58 years Helen in their La Mirada Calif. home. They have three children, and two grandchildren. Jerry enjoys spending his free time fly fishing, playing golf, a good book, and touring the US and Europe.
JUNE SUTTERFIELD DOWNER
June Sutterfield Downer has been selected to receive the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for her contributions to women's athletics, education and service to her community. June was actively involved in teaching and coaching during a time when it was rare for women to have dual careers and was a role model and mentor for young women who aspired for careers in athletics. After graduating from high school in only three years, June attended Stockton Junior College before enrolling at the University of the Pacific.
From 1945 to 1949 Downer played basketball, volleyball, softball, field hockey and tennis for the Tigers. She was awarded Block P and Gold Awards in athletics, as well as lettering three times in volleyball and serving as the captain of the team in her final season. From 1948 to 1949 June served as the president of the Women's Athletic Association and in 1949 was a sports representative to the California Association for College Women.
June received her bachelor's degree in physical education and health in 1949, and completed her masters degree in the same field. Downer was an instructor at Manteca High School from 1949 to 1953 and served as a department chair for three of those years, before moving to Franklin High School in Stockton and taking a similar role. She worked at San Joaquin Delta College as a coach for women's swimming and softball over the course of 17 years. June initiated classes of individual conditioning for women at SJDC and also served as a part time instructor at Pacific for a semester. She has been a national official for basketball, swimming, and volleyball, a local official for field hockey and is the board examiner for Division for Girls and Women's Sports basketball officials. Downer is a member of the Apollo 10 Inv. Club, the California Teachers Association, the National Education Association, the California Retired Teachers Association and serves as the president of her local chapter of the California Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. She is actively involved with the Red Cross as an instructor of age group swimming classes, an advisor to the Junior Red Cross.
She is also a first aid instructor and nurse's aid serving at the Alta Bates and Berkeley General Hospitals. June is active in her church as the pianist, Sunday school teacher, treasurer, and custodian. She also organized and has volunteered at the Chateau Convalescent Hospital Auxiliary for six years. June lives in Stockton and is the mother of two sons and a grandmother of three.
For more information on previous winners visit: pacifictigers.cstv.com/traditions/paci-stagg.html
