I had some wonderful years at San Diego State, and felt it was time to show my appreciation and give something back to the school. - Cal "Sonny" Hamren

Even though he had been out of contact with San Diego State for the past 25 years, Cal “Sonny” Hamren was so inspired by the prospect of an Alumni Center on campus that he recently pledged $10,000 to the campaign.  The donation came as a response to the first in a series of events designed to reach out to the university’s Greek alumni from the 1960s and ‘70s.

Hamren attended SDSU from 1956-62 and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.  After finishing school, he went to Aztec football games with a group of Sigma Chi’s, but he gradually fell out of touch with his friends and school.  Hamren went on to become a successful restaurateur and realtor, but for 25 years he had no contact with Sigma Chi or the university.

That changed a few months ago when he happened to run into one of his fraternity brothers while visiting his children in San Diego.  The two reconnected, and Hamren soon received word of an upcoming Sigma Chi reunion. 

In January, Hamren attended the Sigma Chi and Kappa Alpha Theta Reunion Reception, where he saw not only his old friends, but also a presentation by President Weber on the planned SDSU Alumni Center.  Based on his own experience of losing touch with SDSU, Hamren was drawn to the idea of a building that would serve as a bridge between the university and its alumni.

"It is such a good idea,” he said, “I had some wonderful years at San Diego State, and felt it was time to show my appreciation and give something back to the school.”

Within a week, he made the $10,000 donation.  “We held the event on a Friday, and the next Wednesday I got a call from Cal saying he wanted to support the campaign,” recalls Andy Hanshaw, coordinator for the Alumni Center Campaign. “We’re so fortunate not only to have found Cal, but for his generosity towards SDSU and the Alumni Center Campaign.”

According to Hanshaw, the Alumni Center will serve as a cornerstone for the university’s engagement efforts with its alumni and the greater San Diego community.  It will provide space on the SDSU campus for alumni to gather for social, business and professional development purposes.  The Alumni Center Campaign is more than one-third of the way to its $10 million goal.