Kevin Riley "76"

Amigos,

I am so sorry I am not going to make the reunion.  Unfortunately, I’ll be out of the country during the last two weeks of June, traveling with my wife and two daughters.  I do appreciate all of the effort that has gone into this event, and the Coveliano response has been impressive.

I am a Class of ’76 graduate, and look back on my four years very fondly.  In four years there was still not enough time to participate in all that was there and offered to us. I headed for UC Irvine for graduate work in Public Administration, but realized they were teaching me no more than I learned in Administraction Publica at Covell.  What could I do but bail out after my first semester there and go sailing for eight years.  When I finally got married, my new bride asked me what I was really going to do, so I found myself back in graduate school, this time at San Jose State University, where I received my Masters in Urban and Regional Planning.  I began working as a planning intern for the City of Santa Clara in 1984 and have been there ever since.  It is truly an interesting City, where small town politics and big city high tech somehow fit together.  I have now been the Planning Director there since 2005.

My wife, Carolyn, and I have two college age daughters.  Carolyn is an RN and the head nurse in a local school district.  Megan will be a senior at Cal in the fall.  Jane will be a sophomore at Loyola Marymount University this coming year, but has a special relationship with my alma mater.  As Dean Ensign, Dr. Pippin and Dr. Robinson, among others, can tell you, I was back at UOP and lapping up the wonderful memories of Covell last fall.  Jane had enrolled in the School of International Studies and I found myself again rubbing elbows with Covelianos, both alums and faculty, during several events at the outset of the school year.  Due to issues unrelated to the wonderful program under Margee’s care, Jane transferred out of UOP at the very end of her first semester.  I somehow feel I lost more than she did in that move.  Jane retains her interest in Latin America, though, having participated in various international programs, including an Amigos de las Americas program in Montevideo, Uruguay, an LMU service program in a small village outside of Mexico City (a better way to do Spring Break) and a Somos Amigos (flying doctors) program in the Dominican Republic.  I consider her a Coveliana at heart.

I shall be with all of you in spirit during the reunion.  Con mejores deseos a todos,

Kevin Riley, ‘76