Press Releases 2007

CONTACT: Mary Planding, Director, Marketing & Communications
(831) 479-6158
mary.planding [at] cabrillo.edu

November 6, 2007

LOCAL PHILANTHROPISTS ESTABLISH THE DICK AND MARY SOLARI
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION CENTER ENDOWMENT WITH $500,000 PLEDGE

APTOS, CA—Local philanthropists, Dick and Mary Solari, have once again come forward with a generous pledge of $500,000 to establish an endowment in support of the new Cabrillo College Industrial Technology Education Center (ITEC) being built on the site of the current Watsonville Public Library. The ITEC will educate students to become qualified professionals in the construction and mechanical trades.

 “This generous donation is typical of Dick and Mary’s commitment to Cabrillo and the community. The Solaris are dedicated to improving the lives of the men and women of Santa Cruz County and we are all so grateful for their support,” stated Cabrillo College President Brian King.

Resources from the Solaris’ endowment will help accelerate the development and enhance the operations of the ITEC and the pathways that feed it. Funds will be used to: recruit faculty, provide professional development for high school faculty to align their courses with Cabrillo’s, rapidly develop and offer new courses to respond to the changing needs of industry and acquire the equipment necessary to support new courses.

“Mary and I are pleased to support the Cabrillo College ITEC and bring increased opportunities for students,” says Dick Solari,  “I was fortunate as a young man to start my career doing manual labor and craft work at Granite Construction. We are happy to provide opportunities for the next generation to follow in this career path.”

In 1994, the Solaris previously gave $500,000 for the creation of the Computer Technology Center (CTC) for students on the Cabrillo Aptos campus. The CTC was named the Solari Technology Center in honor of the Solari’s outstanding munificence.

A local inspiration and success story himself, after graduating from Watsonville High School, Dick Solari started at Granite Construction (one of the largest civil engineering companies in the U.S.) in 1945 shoveling dirt and wheeling concrete eventually becoming its president and later CEO and chairman of the board. Mary Solari is a psychology college graduate who grew up in Kalamath Falls, Oregon. Dick and Mary met in 1953. All three of the Solaris’ children attended Cabrillo College.

About Cabrillo College
Cabrillo College is a leading California community college serving Santa Cruz County with locations in Aptos, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. It is ranked #1 in transfers to UC Santa Cruz. Founded in 1959, the college offers over 100 academic and career technology programs that serve multiple educational goals such as A.A. and A.S. degrees, certificates of proficiency, skills certificates, transfer to 4-year institutions or for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. Our mission is to enhance the intellectual, cultural, and economic vitality of our diverse community by assisting all students in their quest for lifelong learning and success in an ever-changing world.

About Cabrillo College Foundation
The Cabrillo College Foundation was established in 1962 as a private, non-profit organization; its sole mission is to provide support for Cabrillo College, its students and faculty.

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