USD Magazine, Summer 2004

ALMANAC

Alumni Honor John Trifiletti's 30 Years at USD

by Timothy McKernan 0 ver the course of the three decades he called Alcala Park home, John Trifiletti '78 earned a reputation for helping students in ways large and small - offering counsel, arranging internships, footing pizza-party bills. When "Trif" recently announced he was leaving USD to become assistant headmaster and director of development at The Bishop's School, a private college prep school in San Diego, a group of alumni decided to make that reputation a permanent part of USD student life. The John Trifiletti Scholarship, founded with contributions from alumni , will aid undergraduate students in the College of Am & Sciences. The way the scholarship was endowed is a tribute co a man who became an institution within an institution, says Escher La Porta, associate vice president of development. "One alum called and said he wanted to create a scholarship to honor Trif's years of service co USD," La Porta says. "The minimum amount to fully endow a scholarship is $50,000, but I expect

(the amount) co be well over six figures before it's done. The more people who heard Trif was leaving USD, the more people stepped up with contributions." Helping students, those donors say, is an ideal way to recognize Trifiletti's USD career, which included stints as a resident assistant and resident director, director of student affairs, director of alumni relations, director of major gifts and assistant vice president for development. During his time at USD, Trifiletti helped raise millions of dollars, but friends say he always focused on the people - those who needed help as well as those who offered it. "He genuinely cares about people on chis campus," says Tom Burke, retired vice president of student affairs. "He has an extraordinary ability co connect with people. He has a lot of friends because he knows how to be a friend ." Trifiletti, who grew up in Laguna Beach, Calif., made his first visit co the university in the spring of 1974, at the suggestion of his sister.

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