Local chapter of St. Mary's
alumni association reorganizes

The recently reorganized Laredo Chapter of the St. Mary's University Alumni Association has announced a new slate of officers and a renewed effort to make Laredo the most active alumni chapter of the San Antonio-based institution.
At a recent meeting, members of the organization discussed plans to work at the upcoming April 25 and 26 Fiesta Oyster Bake Coke booth.
They also discussed organizing a November golf tournament. All fundraising proceeds benefit the Laredo Chapter's scholarships for Laredo students who will attend St. Mary's. Plans for the recent Homecoming Oyster Bake were also discussed.
According to Alumni Association president Michael C. Amici ('73), "St. Mary's has given me so much. It's time to give back." The tradition of St. Mary's University graduates is not in the popular cheers, hand gestures, symbols or social groups of other schools, added Amici, but rather it is embedded in a tradition of service to the community. "There wasn't a network of support when we all went to St. Mary's, and we remember how difficult it was. But we also remember how much fun and rewarding that experience was," Amici said. "We, as the alumni of the Laredo community, need to provide assistance to the students who are there, guidance to those who are thinking of going, and serve as examples of the university's finished product." Amici is an independent insurance agent for GSM Insurors, International Trade Sector, Laredo and South Texas.
Xochitl Mora García ('95), secretary and publicity chair of the alumni association, said the chapter will reinstate the Senior Send-Off and Mass for students who leave for St. Mary's University in the Fall.
In addition to Amici and Mora García, other officers of the association are vice-president Melinda Vidaurri, Webb County Public Defender's Office; treasurer Fernando Chapa, Laredo National Bank; secretary/publicity chair Xochitl Mora García, City of Laredo; recruiting chair Brenda Luna-Lopez, Laredo Community College; social chair Paul De La Peña, LareDOS; spiritual chair Claudia Flores Cabello, LBJ High School. The chapter is currently seeking nominations for fundraising chair.
For further information on the Laredo Chapter of the St. Mary's University Alumni Association, call Mora García at 712-2898 or Amici at 324-1083.
St. Mary's University, founded in 1852 by the Marianist brothers and priests, is the oldest university in San Antonio, and the oldest and largest Catholic university in Texas and the Southwest. For more information on St. Mary's University or alumni activities, visit www.stmarytx.edu.