A Class Act

When members of the class of ’92 celebrated their 25th reunion last fall, many of them had not seen each other in decades. The gathering was an opportunity for them to recall shared experiences and memories of departed friends, one of whom still held a deeply special place in their hearts.

That friend was Marc Deiter ’92, who died tragically in a motorcycle accident less than a year after graduating from UC Law SF. “Marc was such a smart, funny guy,” recalled Steve Pearl ’92, an employment law mediator with ADR Services. “We just had the best time with him at law school.”

Deiter came to UC Law SF after graduating from Harvard, where he wrote for the Lampoon, followed by three years in the U.S. Army. “Marc was not your average law student, by any measure,” Pearl added, “but what I remember best was his wonderful, sardonic sense of humor.” For several years after Deiter died, Pearl and other classmates socialized regularly to remember their friend, but those get-togethers tapered off as classmates moved on with their personal and professional lives.

So, naturally, when the class of ’92 marked its quarter-century reunion, many classmates reminisced about Deiter. “We had a great time reconnecting,” Pearl said, “and wanted to do something in Marc’s honor.” Pearl and about a dozen other classmates—including Kristin Diamond, Isack Fadlon, and Waukeen McCoy—decided to establish the Marc Deiter ’92 Memorial Scholarship Fund and set a fundraising goal of $100,000. The fund, which will award an annual scholarship to a deserving UC Law SF student, will also secure the naming rights to the student lounge in the new academic building at 333 Golden Gate Ave. The classmates held their first fundraising event on May 19, 2018, at the Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles, which brought in almost $50,000; a second event is planned to take place this fall, in San Francisco.

“After 25 years, our class realized that we still wanted to create a community,” Pearl added. “And that’s what we did. It’s about a few people who wanted to do something special and being indefatigable about it.”

To learn how you can support the Marc Deiter ’92 Memorial Scholarship Fund, or create a similar fund with classmates of your own, contact Chief Development Officer Eric Dumbleton at (415) 565-4616 or dumbletoneric@uclawsf.edu.

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