Santa Clara University

Honoring Leaders

The 2004 Alumni Achievement Awards

By Larry Sokoloff ’92

Four outstanding alumni of the School of Law were honored on May 21 at the Alumni Special Achievement Awards dinner. Nearly 180 people attended the dinner, which was held at the Leavey Activity Center, on the night before commencement ceremonies for the class of 2004.

“It was fantastic and inspirational,” says Law Alumni Board President Rebecca Sue Jones, B.A. ’83, J.D. ’87. “All the honorees were truly humbled and touched by the recognition.”

Left to right: Thomas J. Romig, Gordon T. Yamate, Phyllis J. Hamilton, and Eugene M. Hyman.

The Alumni Special Achievement Award was established by Santa Clara University School of Law’s Alumni Association to publicly recognize outstanding achievements of its alumni. Recipients have distinguished themselves in their profession, community, and in service to humanity. The awards are based on a variety of factors, including community service, youth activities, career achievement, community educational involvement, professional and community honors, business and professional leadership, and educational honors and SCU involvement.

Before each honoree was pre-sented with the award, each was introduced by a video presentation on two large screens that listed their achievements.

Attendance at the fourth annual event set a new record. Attendees included former Alumni Special Achievement Award recipients, Board of Visitors members, Owens Lawyer of the Year award recipients, and friends and families of the honorees.

The honorees, Jones said, all had a common theme in their speeches. “Though the campus has physically changed, there’s still the same feeling at Santa Clara,” observed Jones. “The camaraderie of the faculty, the great education, and the sense of community have not changed.”

According to Law School Dean Donald J. Polden, “this year’s Special Achievement Awards dinner permitted the law school to honor four graduates who have been leaders in the legal profession, our government, and our nation. Honoring them as we have honors all Santa Clara law graduates for their achievements and accomplishments on behalf of their clients and their communities.”

Recipients

The Honorable Phyllis J. Hamilton

Judge Phyllis Hamilton served as deputy public defender at the Public Defender’s Office in San Francisco (1976-1980), administrative judge for the United States Merit Systems Protection Board in San Francisco (1980-1985), and court commissioner of the municipal court in Oakland (1985-1991). At 33, Judge Hamilton became a superior court commissioner in Oakland. Judge Hamilton was appointed U.S. magistrate judge on April 2, 1991. She currently serves as U.S. district court judge for Northern California. She was in the news shortly after the awards dinner when she ruled that a federal law banning so-called partial-birth abortions was unconstitutional. The matter is expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. An Oakland resident, Hamilton has helped mentor youths in programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Judge Hamilton earned a bachelor of arts degree from Stanford University in 1974 and her law degree from Santa Clara University in 1976.

The Honorable Eugene M. Hyman

In 1990, Judge Hyman was appointed to the Santa Clara County Municipal Court, and he now serves in superior court for Santa Clara County. In 1999, he created the Juvenile Delinquency Court for the Domestic Violence and Family Violence programs in Santa Clara County, the first of its kind in the United States. He has served in the community as a member of the Domestic Violence Council, and chaired the Council for the Court Systems Committee. Judge Hyman was a recipient of the Woman’s Fund “Man of the Year 1998” in recognition of his work in domestic violence prevention. In 2000, he was awarded the Legal Advocates for Children and Youth Honor for his work with families and children. Judge Hyman has been an adjunct professor at Santa Clara University for 15 years, teaching five different courses. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Claremont Men’s College and his law degree from SCU in 1977.

Major General Thomas J. Romig

Major General Thomas J. Romig is the Judge Advocate General for the U.S. Army. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Kansas State University in 1970. He was commissioned through the ROTC program and entered active duty in October 1971. In 1977, General Romig was selected for the Funded Legal Education Program and attended Santa Clara University School of Law, where he served as an editor on the Santa Clara Law Review and as a member of the Honors Moot Court Board. He graduated with honors in 1980. General Romig is also a graduate of the National War College and the Armed Forces Staff College. His decorations and badges include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star, Armed Forces Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon second award, NATO Medal, and Parachutist Badge.

Gordon T. Yamate

Gordon Yamate is vice president and general counsel of Knight Ridder, Inc. He served as vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Liberate Technologies, and was a partner in the law firm of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, LLP, in Palo Alto and San Jose. He was the alumni representative for the most recent SCU law school dean search committee and was appointed to the Silicon Valley Chapter of National Conference of Community and Justice. His many professional affiliations include membership on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the High Tech Law Institute at SCU. His community activities include numerous member and leadership positions on boards such as the Japanese-American National Museum and the Asian  Law Alliance. Yamate earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, Davis, in 1977 and a J.D. from Santa Clara University in 1980.