Alumni Return for Homecoming Weekend
Westmont celebrates Homecoming 2019 with a full slate of on-campus events October 11-12. The two-day event features a wide variety of events for alumni, including class reunions and a reception with President Gayle and Pam Beebe for classes ending in 4 and 9. Alumni of all years are invited to a faculty reception at the Celebration of Summer Research, a tour of Westmont’s bountiful garden, an evening at the observatory stargazing with Professor Ken Kihlstrom, an insightful presentation by Professor Andrea Gurney and much more. See the full schedule on the Homecoming website at westmont.edu/homecoming.
The highly anticipated, annual All-Alumni Brunch will honor Erik Olson ’90, a partner and trial lawyer at Morrison & Foerster LLP, and Leeba Lessin ’79, former president of CareMore Health System, as Alumnus and Alumna of the Year, respectively. Jim ’70 and Sue Bergman DeVries ’71, longtime missionaries with One Challenge International (OCI), will receive the Global Service Award, and Scott Hempy ’14, founder and chief revenue officer at Filld, has earned the Young Alumni of the Year. Reservations can be made and tickets to the brunch secured online until Friday, Oct. 4.
Olson’s practice focuses on the litigation of intellectual property, securities, and corporate governance disputes, with particular emphasis on clients in the biotechnology, medical device, telecommunications, and high-technology industries. He serves on the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, which offers pro bono attorneys to foster youth, people with mental illnesses, and other underserved populations in Silicon Valley facing legal challenges. He earned a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1994. Erik is married to Jill (Primuth) ’89. Their son, Andrew, graduated from Westmont in 2018, earning a degree in biology and political science.
Lessin started a health-maintenance organization in Santa Barbara in 1986, and she has played a leading role in a managed care company. While with CareMore, a health plan and care-delivery system for Medicare and Medicaid patients, she created a highly regarded medical management and care model for the care of chronically ill patients. She is also the former president of the Southern and Northern California operations of PacifiCare, a health insurance company that is now part of UnitedHealth Group.
The DeVries have shared a lifetime of marriage and ministry, raising three daughters who now serve in the mission field themselves with the DeVries’ 10 grandchildren. The couple began their career in Ghana, teaching high school. For the next 20 years, based in Kenya with eight families, they traveled and trained pastors. In 2006, they moved to Cyprus to support missionaries in the Middle East who face ongoing stress. After 38 years, Jim and Sue have moved to Colorado, but they continue to work with OCI.
Hempy, who was named to Forbes’ prestigious 30 Under 30 list in 2016, began delivering fuel through the Filld app to the Bay Area in April 2016 and has expanded to Washington, D.C. While at Westmont, he participated in Westmont in Haiti, using microfinance to launch small businesses during spring break. He is married to Kylie (De Raad) ’14.
Westmont has combined Preview Day with Homecoming this year to encourage alumni to bring their high school students to learn more about the college and experience Westmont firsthand.
As part of Homecoming festivities, No. 7 Westmont women’s soccer kicks off against Vanguard at noon on Saturday, Oct. 12, followed by the No. 4 Westmont men’s team at 2:30 p.m., both on Thorrington Field. The Young Alumni Tailgate, for graduates of the last decade, is from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on the Westmont Observatory deck. The All-Alumni Gathering and Kid’s Fair, featuring Dave’s Dogs and Rori’s Artisinal Creamery available for purchase, will take place nearby on Carr Field.
New this year is the Saturday evening All-Alumni Reception followed by the All-Alumni and Friends Orchestra Concert at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with the concert at 7 p.m. The reception is free for alumni and faculty that preregister. Those who attend will receive free concert tickets, otherwise the concert is $10 for adults; free for students and children. The program features music by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven.