It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the loss of former SRJC Board of Trustee Al Maggini, who passed away on Thursday, April 20 at the age of 107.

Albert A. Maggini was three years old already when Santa Rosa Junior College was founded in 1918.  Little could he imagine that he would later serve on the college’s Board of Trustees for thirty-three years.  Al was elected to the board in 1965 and served until 1998 when he decided not to seek re-election as the longest-serving Board of Trustees member in the history of the college.

Even with his long-standing commitment to SRJC and education, Al did not attend college. Instead, the native San Franciscan and depression-era kid went to work right after high school in order to help his mom.

By the mid-1930s Al met his wife, Helen Ryan, on a blind date. The young couple married in 1939 after a three-year courtship. Their first home together was in Oakland where Helen was raised. After a short while, the young couple moved to southern California for Al to work in the oil fields. When Al and Helen were in southern California, World War II was declared. Al joined the Army Air Corps and flew 35 combat missions over Germany.

After the war, he and Helen came to Santa Rosa and Al started working in the securities business. Originally he wanted to be in San Francisco, but his firm wanted to open an office in Santa Rosa. Al had an aunt and uncle in Sebastopol. His uncle, A.M. Garcia, was serving on the Board of Trustees at Santa Rosa Junior College at that time. Later, Garcia Hall would be named for him.

Because of his flight experience in the service, Al was asked by SRJC instructor, Gene Portugal, to teach aviation courses at SRJC, a program that was just getting started. Al taught aviation courses for only four years, but his teaching career was just beginning. Randolph Newman, the second president of SRJC, asked Al to teach a course in securities at the college, which he gladly did one night a week for nearly twelve years.

It was 1965 when then-trustee Barney Plover asked Al if he would consider running for the board of trustees, an elected position. Al stopped teaching at the college, due to a potential conflict of interest, in order to serve the college for the next 33 years as a trustee.

“If you’re going to change anything in this world, we’re going to have to educate people. That’s the only way you’re going to make people better in this world,” he explained once.

Al and Helen did not have children, but they were ardent supporters of organizations that benefited the children and the community for a long time. Al was active on the boards of the Boy Scouts, Hannah Boys Center, and was a founding member of the Memorial Hospital Foundation. Helen was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Charities of Sonoma County.

“It’s important to me to give back to the community. I have been, and still am, very active in the community. You've got to give something back.  It’s not only an obligation, but a pleasure,” Al was once quoted as saying.

Al was a devoted husband and cared for his wife until her death from a prolonged illness in 2002. They were married for 63 years. When asked about Helen, Al reflected, “I’ve achieved modest success, but I’ll tell ya, 90% of it came from my wife. Helen was wonderful, she thoroughly enjoyed going to all of the things at the college.”

When Al retired from the Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees, the faculty and staff at the college made contributions in his and Helen’s honor to recognize his years of dedication to the college.  The scholarship is aptly named the Albert and Helen Maggini Public Service Scholarship to support students active in leadership, student government, or public service. “I am so proud and so flattered that the teachers put that thing together in my honor,” he said at the time it was established. Later, Maggini Hall would be named after him in recognition of his years of service as a trustee.

Al explained his love for SRJC once as, “I feel very strongly about the college. The college did an awful lot for me. When I first started out I didn’t have self-confidence. But doing service and being able to sit on the board of the college and being involved in making decisions, did an awful lot for me. I’d like to give something back. All the organizations I’ve been involved in did more for me than I ever did for them.”

Al’s service to SRJC was a gift beyond price. I will remember him for his love of Porsches, gin martinis, and his deep commitment to uplifting our community through education. Al was a living example of the greatest generation -  humble, generous, and devoted to service. He lived a long, good, distinguished life, and his legacy is a powerful example of how someone can make a difference in our community.

Frank Chong, Ed.D.
Superintendent/President
707-527-4431
fchong@santarosa.edu