Leading the Campaign

Dave Dickson, Trustee and Campaign Co-chair

I have a deep respect for the Marianists and the best way I can honor them is by raising money for scholarships and for 'sticks and bricks.'

By the time David Dickson graduated from St. Mary's in 1968, he'd been taught by Marianists for most of his life. As a child, he lived on Marquette, a street bordering the University to the north. Dave attended Holy Rosary Parish School adjacent to the University, Central Catholic High School and then St. Mary's, all Marianist-led institutions. Dave pledged Rho Beta fraternity at St. Mary's and he, along with dozens of other members, have long played a leadership role in St. Mary's Alumni Association and on the University's Board of Trustees. Fundraising is natural for this longtime Oyster Bake volunteer and current Trustee who chairs the Board's Advancement Committee and, along with Bruce Vaio, is leading the Extending the Tradition of Excellence campaign.

"People have an ongoing passion for scholarships," says Dave of the academic excellence component of the campaign. "But we also need to make sure St. Mary's students have the best facilities available, whether they be for classes and labs, varsity and intramural sports or dorm life." That's why Dave has taken time off from raising money for the Dickson Family Scholarship at St. Mary's – that will one day be endowed with $1 million or more – to ensure this campaign is successful. "And don't doubt it for a minute. We will be successful," he says.

Dave and his wife, Paula, recently hosted a successful event at their Rockport home, just one way the couple is promoting the campaign. "Paula and I love the philosophy, the mission and the traditions of the Marianists," Dave says. "It makes sense, as an alum, for me to be involved; but, Paula is enamored with the devotion alumni have for St. Mary's, and she wants to be – and is – a big part of our efforts, too."

Dave Dickson is President of Great Central Mortgage Ltd., a mortgage brokerage firm he originally established in the late-1970s.

---

Bruce Vaio, Campaign Co-chair

This campaign is an opportunity to make St. Mary's the jewel of the Southwest.

Since he was a kid, Bruce Vaio's passion has been baseball, playing his favorite sport from Little League through college at the University of Denver. When his oldest son, David, transferred to St. Mary's University to play baseball and study business, Bruce and his wife, Cindy, were fixtures at V.J. Keefe Stadium. "I saw the facility – once a premier ball park among Texas schools – as a tarnished gem," he says.

Bruce was involved at the Marianists' Central Catholic High School when his sons attended, even serving as chair of the school's Board of Directors. While at a function, Bruce was talking about the need to rehabilitate St. Mary's sports facilities. Bob Mason, a Central Catholic and St. Mary's alum, told Bruce that if he was serious, Bob could put him in touch with the right folks at St. Mary's. Thus began Bruce Vaio's foray into fundraising for St. Mary's.

Vaio's interest coincided with Bexar County's call for sports facility proposals to make San Antonio and the county a destination for major sports competitions. St. Mary's proposal for a complex for baseball, softball, soccer and tennis won a $6 million match grant. Part of the Extending the Tradition of Excellence campaign is to raise $6.5 million for the complex to meet the county's match, as well as $10.5 million for scholarships.

"I believe the campaign can do three things," Vaio says. "First it can continue the Marianists' mission of education by providing scholarships to great students. Second, a high caliber sports complex is right for St. Mary's student-athletes whose level of competition demands great facilities, and I think this complex can reignite the true Rattler spirit on campus by attracting fans to games."

"Finally," he says, "an outdoor sports complex can be a catalyst for the development of San Antonio's Westside. By bringing regional and national collegiate and other sports tournaments to St. Mary's, the area around the University will respond and grow to meet the needs of the fans."

Vaio is President of Martin Marietta Materials - West, headquartered in San Antonio, and an Executive Vice President of the Martin Marietta Materials Corp.